

^•\4HtUSm^9^ 



HlSmRY of ^^e 

St. Clair River 






(^y^t^^^ ^J^^y^^ '^^^.....^/.- 



HISTORY OF THE SAINT 
CLAIR RIVER 



Written for the Centennial of the Founding 
of St. Clair County on May 8, 1 82 1 



BY 

EMELINE JENKS CRAMPTON 

[MRS. BENj! r.l 
JUNE 13. I92I 



T'siz, 



Printed by 

The St. Clair Republican 

St. Clair. Mich. 






d^^-nhP 




EMELINE JENKS CRAMPTON 



ACKNOWLEDGMENT 

The writer of this "History of The St. Clair River" is indebted to Hennepin's 
Diary and "Exploration of The Great Lakes" by Dollier de Carson and De Bre- 
hant de Gallinee, 16(50. The latter book is in French and English and the two 
books were obtained from the Michigan room of the Carnegie Library, Port 
Huron, througli the courtesy of the Library Officials. 

Also to Mr. W. L. Jenk's History of St. Clair County, Vol. 1, l!tl2; to the 
History of St. Clair County publislied by the Western Historical Co. in ISSli; 
'When Michigan Was New" by Hulda T. Holland. 1!)06; also "A Daughter Of 
New France" by Mary Catherine Crowley, 1!H)]; to Tuttle's "History of Mich- 
igan"; "A History Of The American People" by Arthur Oilman M. A., 1883; to 
Captain Wesley Brown, Captain Herbert Finnigan, Hon. Henry McMorran of 
Port Huron. Mr. l<"'red Baby, Captain Jos. Lowes, Ma.ior E. S. Petit and others 



History of the St. Clair Kiver 



Chapter One. Descriptive 

The St. Clair lliver has had various 
names. The Indians called it 'Otsi- 
Keta-Sippi" according to the History 
of St. Clair County by the Western 
Historical Company. Mrs. Hukl;; 
Holland in her book. "When Michigan 
Was New"' cally the lliver "Otsi-Sippi" 
When Dollier and Gallinee came up 
the Kiver May l'r)th, KJTO, the latter, 
in his aci'ount ol' their journey writes 
of "The Streight." 

In one of the earlier maps it i.s 
paced as tlie Huron river. When 
Patrick Sinclair bought the land whei-;> 
St. Claii- now stands and built Fort 
Sinclaii- in 17G.^) the River bore the 
name "Sinclair" or fifty years. 

The present name is in honor of 
General Arthur St. Clair who was 
Ooveinor of the Northwestern Terri- 
tory of which Michigan was a part, 
Oct. nth, 1787. 

Coming down the stream the first 
city is Port Huron (the Tunnel City) 
with a population in 1920 of 2."),!)41. 
A* South Park there is an attractive 
l.ttle imrk on the riverside. 

Mai-ysville the new city comei.: 
ne.xl witli a present population of 2.100 
Ka, ther down are a number of attrac- 
tive summer homes. In the Hartmar. 
home, Mr. C. H, Wills, the founder of 
Marysville. has been living with his 
family during the winter. The Parke 
home abov(^ is an attractive land mark 
as are the homes "f Mrs. James N. 
Wright and the beautiful place of Mr. 
John Bailum where the grounds are 
terraced to the Kiver edge, making a 
most Interesting sight from the pass- 
ing boats. 

St. Clair City is the oldest settle- 
ment on the River, with a population 



of 3,204. Palmer Park is an attractive 
place with the name St. ('lair on the 
bank marked with white stones."' 

I'Jast China is a histoiic spot, as all 
boats stopped there in the '30s and '40s 
at the dock of Capt. John Clark to 
load cordwood for fuel. Four hundred 
nineteen people reside there. 

Marine City, wheie many boats have 
been built, has 3.731 inhabitants. There 
are summer lesorts near. Cherry 
Peach, Pearl Beach and others are 
noted ones. 

Algonac, which may properly be 
called the "Speed-boat Town", has a 
population of 2,103 including the people 
of Clay Township. Pointe du Chene is 
located below Algonac. The entire 
Kiver section is a popular summer re- 
sort. 

The St. Ciair Rivei- is the present 
name of the body of water which flows 
from Lake Huron to Lake St. Clair 
The length is thirty-nine miles. The 
width varies with an average of three- 
fourths of a m'le. There is aii Indian 
legend that once the River was at one 
place so narrow that a tall tree falling 
on the bank across the Kiver would 
allow passage from shoie to shore 
The coi'k pine which grew along the 
Kver sometimes attained the height 
cf seventy-eight to one hundred 60 
feet so possibly the Kiver might 
have been that narrow but improbable 

The depth a'^o varies. When sound 
ing for the St. Clair Tunnel a depth 
of forty-one feet was found. There are 
mimei'ous shoalg where the water is 
very sliallow. The one opposite Port 
Huron is called "the middle ground" 
That in front of St. Clair is known as 
"the Bar." It can be located by the 
naked eye as the water over it is 
lighter in color. In an early day there 



IirSTORY OV THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



was o"e at the mouth of Pine river 
but when the river was deepened tor 
b-ii;pbuikling the l)ai' was gradually 
washed away. 

192,000 cubic feet of water aic 
contained in the River. The 

current average^ two and a half to 
three miles an hour. At the Rapids 
where the water from Lake Huror; 
enters the St. C-^ir River, the current 
is very swift and the water deep. Th<' 
Rivei' Howg South by West. 

On the Canadian shore Point Edward 
extends into the River forming Sarnia 
Bay, which is usually fihed with logs 
rafted down from the Georgian Bay 
district There is a legend that at an 
early peiiod the lake water had a 
channel directly into Sarnia Bay. 

Sarnia, the Imperial City, had a pop- 
ulation in 1920 of 1(3,000 Below is (hr- 
Indian Iteservation with chui'ch and 
school. The C H. Wills Co. of Marys- 
ville, with the consent of the Canadian 
Government, has purchased 200 aci'es 
of this land. Corunna is a village at 
the head of Stag Island on the Can- 
adian shore. Further down are Moore- 
town, (^ourtright, Sombra, Port Lamb- 
ton (a summer resort), and Wallace- 
burg off the Sny Carte, a very winding; 
branch of the St. Clair Rivei- which 
flows into Lake St. Clair east of St. 
Anne's Island. 

On W'alpole and St. Anne Islands 
is an Indian Reservation with about 
nine hundred Indians. They hold an 
annual fail' in August each year. 

The islands^ from north to south are 
Stag Island in Canadian water, a pop- 
ular summer resort and now owned by 
the Fraternal Fellowship Association 
composed of Odd Fellows, Masons anl 
Knights of Pythias; Fawn Island op- 
posite Marine CMty, a small tract of 
land where there was once a house, bu:, 
otherwise uninhabited, belonging to 
the U. S.; Harsen's Island, the upper 
part of which is called Russell Island 
is American; Walpole and Squirrel 



Islands ai'e Canadian; Strawberry Is- 
land American; Dickinson Island U. S. 
A big marsh seperates Stromness or 
Ruby Island from Dickinson Island. 
At the St. Clair Flats, called the Venice 
of America, there are numberless 
small islands the best known of which 
is Star Island (U. S.) 

The rivers flowing into St. Clair are 
Black river at Port Huron. Pine at St. 
Claii' and Belle at Marine City. These 
:ne navigable for some distance and 
nuin.\- l)oats have been built on their 
l)anks as well as on the St. Clair. On 
the Canadian shore there are creeks 
but Uo large rivers flowing into the 
St. Clair. The Sny Carte flows from St. 
Clair River into Lake St. Clair along 
the east side of St. Anne's Island. 
Near the beginning of its course it 
meets the Sidingham liver from the 
Canadian mainland almost "head on" 
and together the two travel on into 
Lake St. Clair. The water from the 
Sny Carte proper is, however, of much 
greater volume than that from the 
Sidingham hence it may be said the 
Sidingham flows into the Sny. This 
is about the only known place where 
two rivers meet ' head on". A branch 
of the Sny Carte, known as Johnston's 
(-hannel flows from the Sny into Lake 
St. Clair between Walpole and St. 
Anne's Islands. 

More tonnage goes through the St. 
Clair River than from the docks of 
New York and Boston combined and 
more than passes through the Suez 
Canal. In 192(1 there were G2. 000, 000 
tons ()f iron ore passed down. Four 
boats carried $1,250,000 worth of 
freight. In 1919 there was shipped 
from Lake Superior including Fort 
William 171,047,586 bushels of grain or 
4.(jS2,722 tons. From Lake Michigan 
came 330,252 bushels or 1,408,979 tons 
of grain. The total tonnage through 
the Canal locks at Sault Ste. Marie for 
1918 was 10,023,726 bushels. 

The largest cargo of soft coal was 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVKR 



carried up by the steamer D. G. Kerr, 
15,532. In a twenty trip season the 
combined cariying capacity is 3,387,- 
7St; gross tons on a single trip with 
llie feet of boats. The season capac 
ity is 67,755,720 gross tons. The grand 
total comprises 774 vessels of 3U(l or 
more gi'oss tons with the gross toi! 
nage of 2,G94,447 tons. 

The exports on the River in 1920 
were of the value of $135,014,000; the 
imports were valued at $29,328,029. 

In IS73 there were 39,1S8 boats pass 
ed Gratiot light house and that yea' 
a boat passed a given point at the 
rate of one every six minutes 
After a fog 18 freighter^ were seen at 
one time a few years ago in sight :it 
once. 

At the mouth of the River are var 
ions channels. When l)t)llier an*l 
Gallinee came from what is now call- 
el Lake St. Claii" in 1(570 they found 
five mouths to the River they named 
'Streight." Ihese are now called Sny- 
Boi'o, the North Channel, the Middle 
Channel, South Channel and Sny Carte. 
One thing the early settlers fouml 
on the River which was decidedly ui;- 
pleasant, with which nearly all pion- 
eers were afflicted, was ' chills and 
fevei'" better known as ague. Stories 
are told of victims shaking so hard 
with a chill that the bed on which the 
unfortunate one was lying way shaken 
with the violence. As the country was 
settled, trees were cut down and the 
land drahied, so that the malady dis 
appeared. The only remedy to the 
pioneers for the ague was (luinine and 
they bought it in quantity. 
There is no river like our own St. Clair 
Go where you will, none other can 

compare. 
Its sparkling, rippling waves are hea- 
ven's own blue, 
'Tis every I'estless, changing in it- 
view. 
No poet's pen with justice can declare. 
The glory of our wonderful St. Clair, 



Chapter Two. Early History 

The first inhabitants on the St. 
Clair River were so far as known, the 
American Indians. Along the River 
were the Hurons, Ottawas, iVIiamas, 
Illinois, Pottawatomies, Algonquins. 
Loups, Kickapoos, Santeurs, Ojbwas, 
Sacs, Menominees, Shawnees, Wyand- 
ottes, Mississages, Chippewas, of 
which there were twenty-six tribes 
around what is now St. (i'lair. The 
Ottagamies (or Foxes l lived around 
Lake St. Clair. 

^riiese tribes had their own emblem 
the owl, fish, eagle, bear, beaver and 
other symbols to distinguish the dif- 
ferent tribes. liefore their contact 
with the white man theii- means of 
offence a'ld defence as well as the way 
to obtain their food was by the use 
of the bow and ari'ow They had na 
clothing but that furnished by fur and 
skins of animals. They travelled on 
the River in canoes made of strips 
of birch bark sewed with thongs. Som*^ 
"^•anoeg wei'e twenty feet long by two 
in width and these the Indians paddl 
ed with great dexterity. Dug-ou^s 
were made by burning out logs. They 
had flint for striking fire. 

The Indian canoes could make fort> 
miles ii (lay paddling down the Lakes 
and fast canoes made eight miles an 
hour. The largest canoes held as 
many as seventy men. 

The Indian women of today are not 
far behind their white sisters ay they 
demand the vote at the tribal elec- 
tions. 

A document with reference to In 
dian affairs in this locality is her-^ 
given in full: — 

"War Dt'partnient, Office Indian Af- 
fairs, January 4th, 1S37. 

Sir: I ti-ansmit liei-ewith a copy of 
a lettei' dater llth Ortober appointing 
you commissioner, in conjunction with 
Mr. John McDonell, to value improve- 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



ments under the late treaty with the 
Ottawas and Chippewas. 

1 will thank you to advise nie of 
your acceptance or non-acceptance of 
this appointment. 

Very Respectfully, 
Your most obedient Subject. 
C. A. HARRIS, Comm. 
To: John Clarke, St. Clair Mich. Post 
master China." 

When the Iroquois or Five Nations, 
later Six Nations, came up the Lakes 
ihey drove the earlier Indians further 
north and killed numbers of them. 
The earlier tribes after the advent 
of the French people welcomed them 
(the French) as brothers and often 
intermarried with them. The Iro- 
quois were more friendly to the Eng- 
lish people. 

h'ollowing is an extract from a letter 
written during the giege of Detroit by 
Iioquois Indians in 1763: — 

' We have been beseiged here two 
months by GOO Indians We have 
b«en oil tlie watch, night and day from 
the 8th of May and have not had our 
clothes off, nor slept all night :»ince 
it began.' 

Reinforcements arrived o" July 2(Jtli 
by a vessel from Mackinaw. Patrick 
Sinclair was in command of this re- 
lief ship. 

Of the passing of the Indian tliesr 
lines have been written: — 

"They left no history, but lived ami 

died 
Like tlie wild animals around tliem 

wliiili they slew; 
The woods and streams tlieir ravenous 

wants supplied. 
To hunger and to tiiiisl were all they 

knew. 
The skins of b(»:ists aboiil I heir h)ins 

they drew. 
And made themselves lude weapons 

out of stone, 
Spark arrow-heads and lances." 

Among the Indians known to early 



settlers wag John Riley who owned 
the land where Port Huron is now 
located in 1826. He had a block 
house at the south west corner of 
Military and Water streets. He had 
a checkered career. Sometimes he 
was a good Indian when he was friend- 
ly to the settlers and helped them in 
various ways but was a very "bad In- 
jun" when he paddled down the SI. 
Clair River to Harsen's Island, got 
drunk and shot Mr. James Harsen. 
who died later from the wounds re- 
ceived. He excused himself saying 
he was '' squeeby" (drunk). This was 
an old stunt of the Indian to get drunk 
commit crimes and claim when about 
to be punished that they did not know 
what they were doing Gallinee writes 
lliat as early ag 1669, when he and 
Dollier were on their way up the 
l.,akes and I'ivers that the Indians on 
Lake Ontario would get drunk and 
dreadfully torture their prisoners and 
enemies and claim exemption for then 
Clime because they were drunk. 

Riley was chief of the Otchipwe 
Ind.ans He could read and write, 
having attended a mission school on 
the St. Clair River. His wife was ^ 
lull blooded squaw. He was a Moli- 
awk half-breed. 

Othei" Indians of the River were 
Hig John (Og-ma-ke-ga-to) of the Chi- 
l)pewa tribe, Nataquato and Nemeke- 
um Huron chiefs on the River. Black 
Duck, son-in-law of Cliief Hlac'k Snakr- 
of I5iack river, made trouble for the 
settlers. Kish-luiw-ke and his son 
were allied against the Americans in 
(lie wai' of 1812 as was Wawanosli who 
lulled the husband of (jranny Rodd, 
Antoine Rodd, who was friendly to 
the Americans in IS 14. 

(Jranny Rodd was well and favoi'ati 
ly known tlie length of the Itiver 
where she made yearly i)ilgrimages. 
staff in liand, to visit the grave of her 
daughter buried on an Island. She 
came to the writer's home one Sunday 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



afternoon asking permission to sleep 
by tlie kitchen fire. After supper 
she wrapped up in her blanket and 
we children tiptoed out to the kitchen 
door to look at her. She lived to be 
over a hundred and died in 1870. The 
folloAving verses are two of a poem 
written of her, autlior unknown: — 

"Old Mother Rodd!! Old Mother Rodd 
When elements combine together 
To drive poor Christians from the 

road 
By this hard snap of wintry weather- ■ 
What drives thee from thy wild bush 

home 
And thy camp fire across the River. 
Port Huron's snow-wreathed streets 

to roam, 
When white folks round their stoves 

do shiver." 
"Old Mother Rodd! The River true 
Rolls on as then with rapid curren^ 
As when thy family's birch canoe. 
Skimmed lightly o'er the sky-blue tor- 
rent. 
Thy friends roamed here and wand- 

er'd there 
With Sharpen'd stone with bow and 

quiver. 
Before the wandering brave St. Clair 
Bequeathed his name to this proul 

river." 

Some of the early explorers hoped 
to reach China from the Great Lakes 
whicli were supposed to give the way 
to the Vermillion Sea or Gulf of Cal 
ifornia They still hoped for a short 
route to India. In 1.534 the explorer 
Cartier, who discovered the St. Law 
rence River, was told of great lakes 
and rivers in the northwest but it 
remained for Joliet to be the first 
white man to pass down the St. Clair 
River in a sailing canoe in 1669. (Ou'^ 
history says that Father Joseph Le 
Caron with twelve men came to the 
St. Clair River in 161.5 having been 
sent out by Champlain). .loliet mad^; 
the first maps of the region but these 



were unfortunately lost when his can- 
oe was upset in the St. Lawrence river 
on his return from the momentous trip 
In 1686 some FJnglish fur traders came 
up the St. Clair River on their way to 
Mackinaw. 

The first maps which have been pre- 
served of this locality were nTade by 
Dollier De Carson and Galinee in 1670 
A map of North America was publish- 
ed in Paris in 16.56 showing the lakes 
and rivers in this region by Sanson. 
He spoke of Lake St. Clair as being 
a ' Sea Water Lake" but Galinee writ- 
es "we saw no sign of salt water." 
(In one of the Indian languages the 
word "Otsiketa" means 'salt." Prob- 
ably the Indian applied the name to the 
St. Clair River and St. Clair Lake be- 
cause of the numerous "salt licks" 
found here. It is probable that San- 
son hearing the term "Otsiketa"' 
thought that the Indians meant that 
Lake St. Clair was salt water) Joliet 
gave Dollier and Galinee information 
ahout the trip they were to take when 
he met them at Lake Ontario. The 
original letters of Gallinee are now 
in the Bibliotheque Nationale. Paris 
The book the writer quotes from is 
written, one page in French and one 
in English. Galinee writes of Lake 
Erie "At last we arrived on the 13th ov 
14th of October (1669) at the shore 
of Lake Erie which appeared to us 
at first like a great sea because there 
was a great south wind blowing at th" 
time. There is perhaps no lake in 
the whole country in which the wavei 
rise so high because of its great depth 
•and its great extent. " Some of us 
can agree with Galinee as to the 
roughness of Lake Erie Galinee and 
Dollier stopped at one of the islands 
of Lake Erie, killing three stags and 
a hind. They passed the winter of 
1669 and 1670 on the north shore of 
Lake Erie at the Cahuga river. In his 
account Galinee calls Lake Huron 
'Michigane." He thus describes the 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



St. Clair River "We entered the out- 
let of Lake Michigane which is not 
a quarter of a league in width. At 
length after ten or twelve leagues 
we entered the largest lake in all Am 
erica called "the fresh water sea" 
of the Hurons or in Algon- 
kin "Michigane." It is 660 or 700 
leagues in circumference." they pass- 
ed through St. Clair River May 25. 
1670, anfl instructed the Indians on the 
shore where Dollier set up his altar 
on every opportunity. 

Passing up the St Clair River in 
May 1670, they continued up Lake 
Huron and returned home by Georgian 
Bay, the French, Ottawa and other str- 
eams, having to portage many times, 
and finally reached Montreal June IvS 
1670 They had spent 347 days on thv 
round trip. 

In 1670 Dolier, who was a priest 
and missionary thirty-three years of 
age, wrote: "I wag seeking to form 
Communication between Lake Ontario 
and Lake Huron, where the copper 
mine is said to be." 

Dollier, Gallinee and La Salle ii 
brother of the La Salle who later built 
the Griffin, with seven canoes and 
three men in each canoe and with two 
canoes of Iroquois as guides left 
Montreal July 6th, 1669, reached Lake 
Ontario August 2nd. La Salle, who 
was twenty-six years of age left them 
Octol)er 3rd and returned with his 
men to Montreal. The rest of the 
party, including the Dutch interpreter, 
reached Lake Erie October 13th and 
camped for the winter at the mouth 
of the Cahuga river on the north 
shore of the Lake. They found the 
winter severe but not so much snow 
as in that part of Canada which they 
had left. 

In 166.5 Father Allouez established 
a mission at La Pointe on Lake Sup- 
erior of which we shall hear later. 

The first map of the lakes and riv- 
ers was by F'rancois Dollier, Priest 



of the Diocese of Nantes in Brittany 
ard De Galinee of the Diocese of Ren- 
neg in Brittany and it surely look? 
strange to Us now. 

Events happened in the summer of 
1675 which were momentous in the 
first history of our River. Father 
Hennepin and Rene Robert Cavellier 
Sieur de La Salle sailed from La 
Rochelle, France, so often mentioned 
in the Great World War, for Quebec, 
reaching there in September 1675. In 
February 1679 work was commenced 
on the sailing vessel ' Griffin" of 45 
tons burthen, being built two leagues 
above the great Fall at Niagara by 
La Salle. On the seventh day of 
August, 1679, the Griffin sailed north 
to be the first vessel to sail through 







THE GRIFFIN, FIRS T SAILING VES- 
SEL TO PASS UP ST. CLAIR 
RIVER 

Ihe St. Clair River. La Salle had 
sent 15 men in canoes to inform the 
Indians along the Lakes that he had 
Ijeen granted authority from France 
to l)uihl a chain of forts upon the 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



lakes and rivers, his hope being to 
connect Canada with the Gulf of Mex- 
ico. 

Three priests were on the Griffin, 
Fathers Hennepin, Ribourde and 
Membre. La Salle was commander 
of the expedition, the object of which 
was to buy furs of the Indians. The 
pilot of the Griffin was an ocean sailor 
The crew consisted of twenty-four 
men. 

Hennepin states that the day they 
boarded the vessel "we fired three 
guns and sang Te Deum, which was 
attended with loud acclamations of 
joy. Of which those of the Iroqu- 
ese who were accidentally present at 
this ceremony, were also partakers 
for We gave them brandy to drink as 
well as our men, who immediately 
quitted their cabins of Rinds of trees 
and hanged their hammocks under 
the deck of the ship, there to lie with 
more security than ashore. 

"The Iroquese being returned from 
hunting beaver were mightily surpris- 
ed to see our ship afloat and called 
us Otken, that is in their language, 
"most penetrating wits." For they 
could not apprehend how in so short 
a time we had been able to build so 
great a ship. * * * it might have 
been called a moving fortress; for 
all the savages inhabiting the banks 
of those lakes and rivers I have men- 
tioned for five hundred leagues were 
filled with fear and admiration when 
they saw it." 

Upon reaching Mackinaw La Salle 
had taken 14 men in five canoes to pad- 
dle down the west shore of Lake Mich 
igan while M. Tonty was to go down 
the east shore. La Salle after many 
adventures died in 1687, being shot 
on the banks of the Mississippi by a 
jealous nephew. Hennepin published 
a book of his travels from which we 
quote. 

'Between Lake Erie and Huron 
there is almost such another Streight 



thirty Leagues long, which is of an 
equal breadth almost all over, except 
in the middle that it enlarges itself 
by help of another Lake far less than 
any of the rest which is of a circular 
form about six leagues over, accord- 
ing to the observation of our pilot. 
We gave it the name of Lake St. -Claire 
though the Iroquese who pass over it 
frequently call it Ot-si-Ke-ta. The 
country which borders upon this most 
agreeable Streight is a pleasant Cham- 
pagne country as I shall relate." 

This name Otsi-keta applied to all 
water between Lake Erie and Lake 
Huron. He writes further of our 
River thus, "The current of that 
Streight is very violent but not half 
so much as that of Niagara; and there- 
fore we sailed up with a brisk gale and 
got into the Streight between th'^. 
Lake Erie and the Lake St. Claire: 
this last is very shallow especially 
at its mouth. The Lake Huron falls 
into this of St. Claire by several can- 
nals, which are commonly interrupted 
by sands and rocks. We sounded 
all of them and found one at about 
one league broad without any sands. 
its depth being everywhere from three 
to eight fathoms of water. We sailed 
up that Canal but were forced to drop 
our anchors near the moUth of the 
Lake for the extraordinary quantity 
of waters which came down from the 
Upper Lake (Superior) and that of 
Lake Illinois (Michigan) because of 
a strong north-west wind had so much 
augmented the rapidity of the cur- 
rent (the Rapids) of this Streight that 
it was as violent as that of Niagara 

'The wind turning southerly we 
sailed again and with the help of 
twelve men who hauU'd our ship from 
the shore got safely the 23rd of August 
into the Lake Huron. We sung the 
Te Deum a second time to return our 
thanks to the Almighty for our happy 
navigation." 

The Griffin (sometimes erroneously 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



spelled Griffon) had on board five 
cannon and two anchors. On the re 
turn voyage the Griffin, laden with furs 
and skins started on the way back to 
Niagara, "but the ship was hardly a 
league from the coast when it was 
tossed up by a violent storm in such 
a manner that our men were never 
heard of since; and it was supposed 
that the ship struck upon sand, and 
was there buried. Thig was a great 
los^ for La Salle and other adventur- 



and the word wawa according to 
Henry W. Longfellow means the wild 
goose, the advertisement of the C. H. 
Wills Co. of Marysville representing 
the big wild goose flying down the 
St. Clair River is most appropriate. 

The first fort erected on the St. 
Clair River was in 1686 by Du Luth 
(the name is spelled in a number of 
ways). This fort stood on about the 
same spot as that occupied by Fort 
Gratiot at a much later date (1814) 




LUMBERINCJ OX THE BANKS OF THE ST. CLAIR 



ers for that ship, with its cargo, cost 
above sixty thousand livres." 

Another version is that the crew 
in La Salle's absence mutinied, sold the 
cargo of furs and sank the Griffin. 
It is not known definitely which story 
is correct. 

Lake Huron was named Ottawawa 
by the Indians. As the water of that 
Lake flows into the St. Clair River, 



The French fort built by Du Luth was 
called P^'ort St. Joseph and was burned 
August 27th, 1688 at which time the 
attemi)t to maintain the fortress in 
lliis section was abandoned by the 
French. In the year 1765 the second 
military post to be erected in the 
County was built at the point where 
Pine river enters the St. Clair River 
This fort was constructed by Patrick 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



Siaclair of the English army and was 
named in his honor "Fort Sinclair." 
This was during British occupancy 
of this section and the English flatj 
floated over the post. The third 
fortification to be built along the St. 
Clair River was Fort Gratiot, built by 
the United States in 1814 and the 
Stars and Stripes were the final nat- 
ional emblem to fly above a fort on 
the River. 

In 1701 there passed down the 
River St. Clair a number of canoes, 
whose uccLipunts were destined to 
become famous in Michigan history 
as the founders of Detroit. Sieur 
de la Mothe Ciadillac was at the 
head of the expedition. He was ac- 
companied by Monsieurs de Tonty. 
Dugue and Chacornacle and two prie- 
sts, Vaillant and Father Del Halle, 
with fifty soldiers and fifty builders 
and traders. M. de Tontl was Captain, 
Dugue and Charcornacle were Lieuten- 
ants. They left La Chine on June .(.u 
1701 and were to go by way of Ottawa 
river. They had to portage thirty 
times from river to river and the Lake 
of the Nipicerines. Then thru the 
French river in Georgian Bay and 
down Lake Huron. 

In six weeks they reached the St. 
Clair River which is thus described, 
"Our small flotilla reached the ruins 
of Monsieur du Lhut's abandoned trad- 
ing post, Fort St. Joseph (built in 
1686 and burned in 1688). Having 
tarried to examine the place, Cadillac 
gave orders that we embark anew and 
'ere long we entered upon the river 
which the Baron Lahontan described 
tj his friends at Quebec ag the "Neck" 
but which we now know as the upper 
part of "the Strait." It was a tran- 
quil scene ,and on either hand the 
green level country stretched away as 
far as the eye could reach, except 
where here and there a forest inter- 
vened. 

"Next we came to a curious place 



(the St. Clair Flats) a multitude of 
half-submerged islets where we saw 
Indians spearing fish and where wild 
ducks and other water fowl abounded 
We shot so great a number of the 
ducks that all available space in the 
canoes was taken up with them. Then 
We floated onward over the "placid 
waters of the little lake of Ste. 
Claire." 

The following spring (1702) there 
passed down the River St. Clair bat- 
eaux containing the wives of Cadillac, 
Tonti and of the traders and other 
men in Detroit, There were Indian 
rowerg and guides Canadian fur trad 
ers, coureurs de bois and others who 
accompanied the little fleet. Also 
the six year old son of Cadillac and 
we can imagine the surprise in the 
eyes of the little son at the strange 
sights of the long trip. The bateau 
in which were the women bore a white 
banner at the prow and the French 
flag of the fleur-de-lis proudly waved 
telling the men of the arrival of their 
loved ones. 

There were two reasons why these 
people had oome down the River. 
First the dread of the Iroquois Indians 
who were hostile and second the Nia- 
gara Falls, as it would have been nee 
essary to portage some distance. For 
the same reagons Joliet came down 
the River. 

After Detroit was settled by Cad- 
illac and his people in 1701 boats were 
frequently passing through the St. 
Clair River between Detroit and Mich- 
ilimackinac. Indian canoes whose 
owners had been pulling out of the 
water the fine fish so plentiful then; 
French fur traders; coureurs de bois 
and boats loaded with supplies for 
Detroit and loads of furs going to Qu- 
ebec. Some of these canoes held ten 
or fifteen men. The furs carried in 
them were bear, mink, fox, wolf, bea 
ver which was so nauch in favor that 
it became scarce and the Indians were 



10 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



allowed to sell beaver pelts only to the 
P^reiich government. Buffalo roamed 
through the region and undoubtedly 
some of their skins were in the boats. 
Also the skins of wolverines which 
were so plentiful that Michigan took 
the name of the Wolverine State. 

The Indians were paid for their 
furs in provisions, wearing apparel, 
knives and scissors and two often also 
brandy was exchanged for pelts. Pelts 
purchased were bound by deer thongs 
and placed in a store house in Detroit 
until they could be sent to Quebec. 

In all justice the St. Clair River 
should have been called Duluth or Sin- 
clair, preferably Sinclair. Gen. Arthur 
St. Clair was never on or near the 
River or in any way connected with 
the lake, river or city which bears hi^ 
name although he was governor of >...e 
Northwest Territory from 1789 to ISJ.. 
Patrick Sinclair not only built the 
fort above referred to but also several 
houses and a mill and planted or- 
chards along the River's banks. He 
may properly be called the first big 
business man on the St. Clair River. 
For seventeen years he owned 24,000 
to 40,000 acres from Marysville south 
to Recor's Point and was at the head 
of the enterprise of cutting the first 
timber in this section. In addition 
he did a large business trading with 
the Indians. 

He was likewise a Captain of the 
British Naval Department and was 
presented with a silver goblet by the 
people of Detroit. He was in com- 
mand of the schooner which took the 
provisions and brought relief to the 
city of Detroit when that town was 
being beseiged by the Indians. Two 
boats were sailing on St. Clair at the 
early date of 1780, the Wellcome com- 
manded by Alexander Harrow and the 
Yandot. 

In 1788 the land of Patrick Sinclair 
was sold by David Ross to Meldrum 
and Parks who in 1795 obtained a deed 



from the Indians of the Chippewa 
tribes confirming Sinclair's deed. 

The River was known as "Sinclair" 
for fifty years and it might not be 
a bad plan if our city of St. Claii 
and the River were renamed Sinclair 
for this intrepid Scotchman. 



Chapter Three. Rafting on the River 

The rafting through the River com- 
menced about 1766 when Patrick Sin- 
clair began to cut off the trees where 
St. Clair city now stands. His logs 
were rafted to Detroit. 

In 1814 Mr. Louis St. Bernard built 
a house oin the St. Clair River using 
bricks from Fort Sinclair for his chim- 
ney Mr. St. Bernard took the contract 
to deliver the timber for St. Anne's 
church in Detroit. The logs were un- 
doubtly rafted down the River to De- 
troit. Father Richard had charge 
of building the church. 

From this time on as pioneers ap- 
peared along the banks of the River 
more lumber was cut and rafted. 
These rafts were managed probably 
by canoes and bateaux which the early 
French settlers used in their traffic 
up and down the River. 

About 1860 tugs began to appear. 
Then larger rafts were made and theso 
were towed to their destinations by 
the tugs. In the case of unusually large 
rafts two tugs were often ^een pulling 
a single raft. 

Occasionally a raft would break 
loose and the logs would drift down 
the River and men and boys all along 
the shore would put out in boats and 
bring the logs to shore for their own 
use. Finally the U. S. Government 
made strict laws making it a criminal 
offense to use any logs obtained to 
such a manner. 

The largest raft that ever passed 
down the River floated down in the 
year 1875. It was in tow of two tugs, 
the John Owen and the Merrick. Capt. 
Wesley C. Brown was in command of 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



11 



the Owen on account of the illness of 
Capt. Booth, who was unable to pre- 
form his duties and was put off the 
beat at Detroit. Thig raft had 2,000,- 
uO f3et of oak with 1,000,000 feet of 
cork pine to float it as the oak was 
too heavy to float of itself. The rafi 
wjs al)out 1,01)0 feet long and ov 
feet wide. It was 18 hours passing 
through the St. Clair River and 10 
days on the trip from Bay City to 
Buffalo. The owner of the logs, Mr. 
Brennan of Bay City, was on the tug 



Some of the readers of this Chapter 
may be interested to know how these 
lumber rafts were made . Into each 
log was bored a large hole and chains 
connecting the logs put through theso 
holes, so that all the logs were chain- 
ed together. Around the outer edge 
of the raft were long logs chained to- 
gether at each end, commonly known 
as boom logs. The whole raft was 
encircled with these boom poles and 
joined by cross chains the entire 
width of the raft. In case of strong 




EARLY DAY LOG RAFTS AT MOUTH OF BLACK RIVER 



John Owen. In crossing Lake Erie 
a severe wind storm broke loose some 
cf ihe logs but Mr. Brennan was well 
pleased with the o'^'tcome of the ven- 
ture. 

During the years of 1827 to 1873 
mills for cutting logs bagan to 
appear on the banks of the River and 
sail vessels and later barges carried 
the cut timber. Only occasioinally 
then did a raft appear on the St. Clair. 

At the present time large rafts of 
logs are being towed from Georgian 
Bay into Sarnia Bay just below the 
head of the River. 



winds the raft was allowed to drift 
as the pressure of the towing in a 
wind back of the raft would tend to 
break it up. The tugs in such a 
situation just guided and eased the 
raft with no attempt to draw it. 

The following business letter is tyi^- 
ical of the rafting days on the St. 
Clair: — 

"Detroit, December 10, 1833. 

Dear Sir, — I have closed a contract 
with Mr. Bartlett for rafting all my 
lumber from Black River to Detroit. 

Mr. B — . intends to do it by rafting 
in cribs of each kind seperate, chain- 



12 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



ing the crib together for rafting by 
hickory twist, or chains as they are 
called. In thig way when it gets here 
each crib will contain its seperate kind 
and be put out on the wharf and car- 
ried to the Pile ia the Yard without 
the expense of aparting. The expense 
in this way will be half less than we 
have done it. This is the way of 
rafting on Lake Champlain. 

Mr. B — . will take the present ratt 
in hand and make it in this way if 
it has not progressed too far. If he 
has to bring it ag it is put on all you 
can get safely and I would advise putt- 
ing most of the Deck Plank on the top 
of the raft so that I may take It off 
at the upper yard and take the balance 
down to saw without re-rafting. * * * 
Cannot you put on top of the I'aft with- 
out any great extra trouble the follow- 
ing bill of lumber for the Presbyterian 
Church. Don't let it give you trouble 
to get it but if it can be done, do it 
I will either come up on Friday or 
when you are ready to come down 
with the raft and I will stay during 
your absence. Write me shall I want 
much money when I come up. 
Yours & C, 

F. P. BROW,NINC! 
To John Clarke, Esq., 

Steam Mills Mouth Black River. 

Articles Needed. 6 barrels Salt 8 
boxes and 3 bags nails and spikes, 1 
grindstone, Send down on the raft 
when it comes i/^ doz. Pikes and Poles. 
Respects to Mrs. C." 



Chapter Four. Unusual Events on the 
St. Clair, River. 
In 1S18 heavy ice blocked the chaii 
nel of the St. Clair River so that ac 
coidiig to Judge Bunce, "the river 
was drained." By this he probably 
means the water was greatly lowered 
below the ice jam. At this time the 
water of Lake St. Clair receded at 
least four miles from the shore and 
the surf raised several sand ridges. 



November Sth-iyth, 1819 occurred 
the event known as the ''Black Days. 
The French traders looked on the 
phenomenon with a peculiar curiosity 
but the Indians were actually alarmed 
and quoted the prophecy that one 
day tlie Penninsula would be destroy- 
ed by an earthquake. 

In 1827 Lake St. Clair and St. Clair 
River rose so high that farmhouses, 
two churches and large tracts of land 
were washed away. Jacob Peer had 
sixty acres of cultivated land submer- 
ged in Clay Township, this County. 

During the tornado of 1836 the wind 
was so violent in crossing the River 
at East China Township that a body 
of water was scooped out of the River 
and flooded quite a tract on the Can- 
adian shore. Mr. Henry Parker of 
St. Clair who was a lad at this time 
witnessed this storm which took the 
roof from the Oaks home on Pine 
River where he lived. When Mr. 
Parker came up the River from De- 
troit in 1832 on a sloop on which a 
number of pioneers of St. Clair County 
were passengers, they were two days 
and nights on the ship. The occasion 
for the long journey was the fact that 
the sloop sprang a leak and had to be 
bailed out during most of the trip. 

A floating island of about the size 
of two city blocks was reported by 
Capt. Dan Morrison in July 1878. It 
was covered with grass and would 
have made a nice farm for someone 
who could have found a place to an- 
( lior it. 

In the spring of 1S9G a goi'ge forme .t 
at the head of Stag Island so that 
there was ice to the bottom of the 
River in many places. Naturally the 
water in St. Clair River fell consider 
ably. Ml-. Fred W. Baby and Dr. Dey- 
oe of St. Clair skated out to the bar 
opposite the city and shovelling away 
the ice and snow stood on land 
Later that same day Capt. Billy Brown 
Fred Scheuricker, D. P. Ingles with 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



13 



his dog, Oswald Hart, Dan Webster 
and Charley Solis crossed the ice to 
the bar where they raised the Stars 
and Stripes, taking tlie land in tli.' 
name of the ITnited States. They 
planted some corn and beans. Stewart 
Padfield standing on sliore took a pic- 
ture of the gi'onp. 

In tb(^ spi-ing I'l' ISlt.'! there passed 
up the Si. Clair River three Strang'^ 
c 3f; which were the wonder of th;> 
people on either shore. They wcr<' 
the caravals "Santa Maria," "Pinta' 



Probably the strangest sight ever 
seen on the St. Clair River was the 
same year (1893) when the immense 
body of a whale was towed up the 
River. The carcass had been chem- 
ically treated but there was a disag- 
reeable odor coming from it. The 
whale was eujoying (?) his ttrst fresh 
water triji to Chicago to be nn exhibi- 
lion at the World's Pair. On the 
voyage it was tied u]) back of the Post- 
office at St. Clair and for a small price 
p(n)ple were allowed to enter its month 







SECOND COURTHOUSE BUILT IN 

CLAIR C 

and 'Nina" exact i-eproductions of the 
beats in which Columbus made his 
voyage across the Atlantic in 1492. Ir. 
gazing at these small boats and then 
glancing at the large freighters on the 
River one could not bul wonder at 
the bravery of Columbus and his men. 
These boats were on their way to the 
World's Fair in Chicago which wa.i 
one year late in celebrating the dis 
covery of America. By the way, the 
president of the Chicago Fair was Hon 
Thomas W. Palmer who had received 
his early education in the St. Clair 
Academy during the years 1842-1847 



COUNTY. ERECTED 1858. NOW ST. 
ITY HALL. 

Standing erect or sit ling in a chair 
with a rug in fi'ont one could but wor 
der at the whalebone in the njip-r 
part of the mouth, a I the small throat 
scarcely larger than an orange. ThiT 
whale was about sixty-five feet in 
length and about twenty-five or thirty 
feet in circumference. 

A few years ago a house passed up 
the River on a flat boat. This was 
l)laced on shore at Sommerville. a 
chimney added to it and it now pres- 
ents a good appearance. 

The greatest storm on the lakes and 
River occurred on Sunday, November 



14 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



9th, 1913, Just as the steamer Price 
left the mouth of St. Clair River and 
entered Lake Huron during the storm 
it turned turtle and floated for days 
afterward with keel in air and masts 
dragging Lake Huron. Three St. 
Clair men lost their lives on this ship 
They were Charles Hartman, firsc 
mate; Howard Mackley second vaate 
and Arz Mcintosh, wheelsman. 
In the same month and year (Nov, 



old Shipyard at St. Clair by a boat 
commanded by Capt. Montague. As 
there had been another accident there 
the U. S. Government ruled that all 
up-bou'ul boats go on the Canadian 
side, down-bound ships on the Amer- 
ican side. The steamer Bethlehem 
sank in front of Henry Rankings plac^i 
near St. Clair. The tug Pringle burn- 
ed just above in 1876 ;nul tlie tug "Red 
White and Blue" was sunk just below 




(H'LXEIiAL CHARLES GRATIOT 



20th, 1913) a tidal wave came down 
the River doing much damage alonj; 
both the St. Clair and I'ine rivers. 
Marks were left by the tidal wave 
showing it to have l)een five or more 
feet ill height. 

Wrecks and disasters along the 
River have occurred occasionally. 
July, 1906 the Eric \v:is sunk near \hv 



the shipyard al)ove referred to. 

The passenger boat Boscoe Belle 
and freight boat Lowell both floated 
down the River afire and were burner! 
to the water's edge There are wrecks 
of boats at the head of Stag Island a'\! 
two at the Island's foot. Also one 
l)etween Marine City and Algonac, and 
one off Port Huron. The str. Tuscar- 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



15 



ora sank off Yankee St. north of St. 
Clair on May 13, 1895. The steamer 
Unique blew up her boiler, killing the 
fireman and blowing the engineer. 
Mr. Robertson overboard where he 
drowned before rescued The follow- 
ing boats were burned: The Fairport 
at Algonar in 1S44; tlie .lohn Owen in 
the River in ISiii*. the I lander at the 
Flats in ISSl; .1. I). Morton in the 
River 1S63; the Fox at Newport (now 
Marine City) in 1SK3; the Swan at Ai- 
gonac 1864; tlie (ii'and Trunk Fei'i'v 
"W. J. Spiree" in 1SG4; Carada 2nd in 
the River in lS()."i: Nortli America at 
the Flats 1S.")S and the Kenosha near 
Sarnia in l,S(i."). 

One summer a f'>w years ago tlio 
author in taking a lioat trip fiom S'. 
Clair to Detroit h id an unusual exper- 
ience. On the let urn trip we wero 
nraily across Lake St. Clair and get- 
ting near the mouth of St. Chiir River 
when a thunder storm came up. Somo 
one called out 'A waterspout" and 
passengers rushed out on deck to sc^ 
on the American side of the River a 
vast pillar of water extending from 
the surface of the Lake U)) into the 
thunder cloud. The center of th ■ 
cloud appeared to l)e black from the 
density and rapid motion of the whirl- 
ing waters making up the S])out. While 
we were gazing at it with consideral)l<> 
wonder and astonishment another voi- 
ce called out. "Look over there," We 
looked and saw a second water spout 
on the Canadian side of the River 
and somewhat further away than the 
first one. Our attention was drawn 
again to the first a.nd soon we saw 
the tip of the cone shaped cloud grad- 
ually raise so that the pillar parted in 
the middle. The water of the Lake 
receded and the unusual spectacle was 
ovier. I think however .that the 
passengers were a little relieved that 
we were about to enter the St. Clair 
River rather than out in the midst of 
the Lake. 



In the summer of 1918 during the 
World War. a sight upon the River 
was afforded which had never before 
been seen. Camouflaged boats and the 
swift Eagles built especially for War 
use were seen plying the length 
the great waterway. 

May 19. 1921 the tow barge-'W. L. 
Kennedy drifted down stream with 
bow all ablaze. She was in tow of 
the steamer C. H. Green. They an- 
chored on the bar opposite St. Clair 
for a time but later went on and after 
a fight of throe hours the fire wa,^ 
brought under control. 

Some amusing as well as serious 
occurrences have taken place on th'^ 
St. Clair, especially in connection with 
smuggling of which there has been 
more or less at different limes. Mrs. 
Hulda Holland in her book "Marfa" 
describes an exciting chase of sonT^ 
opium smugglers by U. S. Officials 
near where the Oakland Hotel stood, 
immediately to the south of the city 
of St. Clair. Probablv at no time dur 
ing the h'story of the River was 
there so much smuggling and illicit 
trade across its waters as during 192'i 
and 1921 when much liquor came ae 
ross the border from Canada into the 
U. S. This was caused by the IT. S 
having prohibited the manufactur.3 
and sale of intoxicating beverages 
■while Canada still permitted the mak 
ing and use of liquors However, in 
the spring of 1921 an election was 
held in the Piovince of Ontario re- 
sulting in making that Province ''dry" 
Smuggling liquor began to decrease 
with the coming into force of the "dry" 
measure and at present writing may 
reasonably be expected to be gradully 
eliminated . 

A sight not usually seen along the 
River was noticed in the month of 
May. 1921 when after a north wind 
had blown for ten days consecutively 
sea gulls in considerable numbers 
were observed along the banks of 



16 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



the River. Some even went as far 
inland as six oi' seven city blocks 
The gulls because of the strong north 
wind had been unable to obtain their 
usual supply of food and consequent- 
ly were driven to seek food on land. A 
large number of gulls were seen from 
the Star Line waiting room feeding' 
upon garbage that had been thrown 
nut upon the water. Of the flock a 
number were noticed with jet black 
heads and smaller than tiie ones usu- 
ally seen. It was thought that these 
had come down the River from the 
Lake on account of th" strong north 
Avind prevailing on Lake Huron at the 
time. 



Chapter Five. Government Lights 

The first lighthouse built by the 
U. S. Government for the River St. 
Clair was just above Fort Gratiot. It 
was erected in 1825 a'd was lighted 
on August 25th of that year. The 
first keepers of it were Rufus Hatch 
and Jean B. Desnoyers whD ci-(>rl for 
the light until December when Georgo 
McDougall was appointed keeper. Mc- 
Dougall was to receive the sum of .'tiS.'iC 
per year for his services. This light 
house was 32 feet high IS feet in diam- 
eter at the base and ^V2 feet at the 
top. N'avigatinn was late that year 
and the light was k(>pt l)urning until 
December l.")th. A big storm in 1S2S 
badly injured l]i(> structure and it fell 
the latter i)art of November of that 
year. 

In Ai)ril lS2!t a contract was let for 
a new Lighthouse to cost H445. Tliis-- 
was 6!t feet high with a diameter of 
25 feet on the ground. It was buil' 
of brick and with a little remodellin.<; 
in the early 'ROs still stands. It is 
known as the Fori Gratiot Light 
Geo. McDougall was the keeper from 
the time of his appointment until his 
death in 1842. There were originally 
about fifty acres of land set aside by 



the Government to be used in connec- 
tion with the lighthouse. 

In 1S73 the Government platted an I 
sold all but a small part of the land 
around the lighthouse. Edison Beach 
was formed from the land thus sold 
by the Government. In the storm 
of Uti:') a large pile of smd and dirt 
north of the lighthouse was carried 
out into Lake Huron but the light- 
house itself was not shaken. There 
have been nineteen keepers of the 
Fort Gratiot Light the present one 
being Frank E. Kimball. 

IT. S. Governniv-^nt has many lights 
on the St. Clair River to help the 
sailor. A lightship shows them the 
entrance to the River from Lake Hur- 
on. There are range lights at Point 
Wdward, a gas buoy at the head of the 
middle-ground at Port Huron, also onq 
at the head of Stag Island. There 
are ranges at Corunna, a beacon at 
Afarysville. Stag Island lighthouse, ga^ 
buoy at St. Bernard's Point, one at thp 
head, m'ddle and end of the bar at 
St. Clair, Lighthouse at Recor's Point 
gas buoy at each end of Faron Island 
and one at the head of Harsen's Is- 
land. There are ranges at the mou*'i 
of the Snye Carte and at Harsen's Is- 
land, two beacon lights on the shorp 
of Walpole Island and on Squirrel and 
Russell Islands. The south east henrl 
shows seven lights and lower ranges 
on Russell's Island. There is a light- 
house on the center pier of the St. 
Clair Ship Canal, a gas buoy and light- 
liouse in the center of the pier at the 
south end of the canal. 

These gas buoys are taken uii at thp 
end of navigation each year by Gov- 
ernment boats and are placed on docks 
for the winter and then replaced in 
position in the spring. They aro 
untended that is, they do not have to 
be lighted. 

Under the date of April 23, 1921. 
from Algonac comes a tribute to thf' 
faithful work of one who has charge 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



17 



of some of Hie "lighls along the shore" 
there. It is as follows: 

■ Peter Lacroix has repaired the U. 
S. range lights i)ainte(l the oUl house:; 
and has eveiything in good order. Mr. 
Lacroix has been care taker for many 
years, and is an efficient man. He 
has never been known to miss his 
duties. No matter what the weather 
he has always stuck to his job, and 
often has had lo wade out with the 
water up to his waist to reach the 



The tunnel was first used in ISKl. 
Steam engines were first used to 
haul trains through the tunnel but as 
a number of serious accidents resulted 
from the coal gas thrown out by the 
engines electricity was installed. This 
was in 1907. The installation of el- 
ectricity reudei'ed tlu^ tunnel"' botli 
safe and clean. 

Once before the electrical engines 
were used to pull trains through th.^ 
tunnel a pai't of a train was left in 




CAR FEltUY ASHTABCLA 



lights when a hig stoini was lilowing 
in shoie." 

The U. S. (Jovernnient has a CoasI 
Guiird Station al)()ve Port Huron under 
Captain Hodge. As the Government 
is having several new Coast Guaid 
launches built Port Huron Station 
hopes that it will l)e pi'ovided with 
one. 



Chapter Six. Tunnels 

The tunnel under the St. Clair River 
at Port Huron connecting Sarnia and 
Port Huron by rail was built by the 
Grand Trunk Railway in 1889-1890. It 
cost 12,700,000 and is 6,025 feet long. 
The grade is one in fifty. 



the tunnel and volunteers were called 
for to go to the relief of people on th':" 
I rain. Several offei'ed ami the train 
was rescued but not until many lives 
were l^st including some of those wl..) 
had gone to the rescue. Mr. Bathy 
husband of Lucy K. Waterloo a St. 
Cla'r gill, was among those who lost 
tlieir lives in the accident. 

It may be wt)rthy of mention here 
to note that while it is not located in 
St. Clair River yet another tunnel was 
built on the banks of the St. Claii'. 
This was the Michigan Central tunnel 
under Detroit River at Detroit, which 
Was built in sections at the at the 
Great Lakes Yard just below the city 



18 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAHl RIVER 



of St. Clair in East China Township. 
As each section was completed it was 
sealed at both ends and floated down 
to Detroit. There were ten sections 
in all. Section one was launched in 
September. 1907, and section two a 
little later in Ihe same month. The 
first section was sunk to position on 
Octobed 1, 1907. These sections were 
steel tubes 262 feet long and 231/2 feet 
in diameter. They were placed in 
great wooden pontoons. 



Chapter Seven 
Ferry Boats On The River 

A word concerning early day fer- 
ries a<-'i'oss the three river.s which ttuw 
into St. Clair may not be amiss liei e. la 
1822 James Fulton had a license to 
run a ferry across Pine river. The 
fai'e was 6^/4 cents for each person, 
man and horse 9 cents, horse and 
carriage one shilling. Two years 
later James Desnoyer had a license to 
ferry across Black river and the next 
year Louis Choilier had a license to 
ferry across Belle river. 

While Nash and Ayrault in 18:57 had 
obtained the first license to operate a 
ferry across St. Clair River at Port 
Huron, a man by the name of William 
Kveland had run a ferry at Port 
Huron four years previous. Subse- 
quently Hitchcock and Malcolm Cam- 
eron, who founded Sarnia, had a scow 
■'^nd row boats as feri'ies. Later Or 
rin Davenport built a flat boat with 
two Indian ponies attached to a sweei) 
which propelled the boat. He later 
built the "United" and then the fer- 
ries "Union" and ''Sarnia" in 1859. 

For a number of years the members 
of the Gallineau family maintained a 
row and sail boat ferry between the 
city of St. Clair and Courtright. This 
ferry left St. Clair at the slip just 
north of the Postoffice and landed 
at the Gallineau dock on the Canadian 
side. Members of the author's fam- 
ily have often timed the two masted 



sail boat used by the Gallineaus as a 
ferry and found that in a brisk west 
wind she would cross in from three iC 
eight or ten minutes, being in sight 
from the St. Clair slip all the time, six 
blocks back from the River 

Sail and row boats were in frequ- 
ent use as ferries between St. Clair 
and Courtright until the Canada Sou 
thern Railroad was built through the 
latter town. With the building of 
the lailroad on the ('anadian side 
steam and gasoline launches were put 
on for ferries. Mr. Frank Currier 
now operates the "Mary C." and the 
' U and I" motor ferries between St. 
Claii- and Courtright. This ferry often 
takes passengers out to the big frei- 
ghters or takes them off without the 
big boat slaking up its speed. 

A large boat designed as a car fer 
ly was l)uilt at tiie Great Lakes Ship- 
yard at St. Clair and launched June 
23, 190t). This ferry was named the 
Ashtabula. 

The latest craft to engage in the 
ferry business is the motoi' tlrivcn 
yacht ' Onaway" owned by Dr. W. T 
Ilendrick of St. Clair which carries 
passengers to Stag Island from St. 
("lair and I'ort Huron at special times 
(luring the season. 



Chapter Eight. The St. Clair Fiats 
The village of Algonac in the town- 
slii]) of Clay may be called the heaii 
of the S;. Clair i-'lats. This i)nr!ion 
of the St. Claii' River is aptly callel 
the Venice of America. In November 
1SS2 Albert Miller and Co. of Bay City, 
;\lichigan, bought 1400 acres of marih 
land known as Point Tremble Prairie 
and l)uilt a dyke iiround the land a: 
an expense of $9,000. 'I'wo di'edges 
were put on the job. 'IMie ditch is 32 
feet wide and four and a half deep. 

Small islands among the Flats were 
taken ])ossessi()n of by s(iuatters who 
Ijuilt summer homes until there wa^^ 
a large floating population. The 



mSTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



19 



childi'en had no means of going to 
school so in 1903 a house on Esmer- 
alda cut at Riverside was purchased 
and a school started witli Miss Abig- 
ail Crampton of St. Clair as the first 
teacher. This Flats school was pro 
bubly the only one where all the pu)) 
ils attended in boats, some coming as 
far as four miles. At the close of 
school each day there were motor, sail 
and row boats waiting to take the 



for years associated with the Flats 
region, was ardently opposed to thi^- 
schooling of the Flats children but he 
luid to give way to liis fellow dwellers; 
of the Flats who souglit educational 
opportunities. 

Joe Bedore's Invitation^, 
"Hello! my friends. An' how you find 

yourself? 
All right? D:U's good. You ax what 

fetch me here? 



r 




,10HN K. GMITH, I lOKEER OF ALGONAC 



children home. In 192U the School 
Board of the district voted to pay ex- 
pense of sending the children of the 
district to Algonac and Point Tremble 
The people of the Fats deserve credit 
for their effoil.-; at securing education- 
al advantages for their childen. .loe 
Bedore, a Frenchman who has been 



I come for feed. My place eez full o' 

folks. 
Dem ceety folks, wluit feesh dis time 

o' year. 
"Dey ketch mucli feesh? Don't ax me 

dat my friend. 
Dat's not my beeziness to spile de 

fun. 



20 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR JIIVER 



Come on de Flats and sateesfy your 

self, 
I let you take my fislipole an' my 

gun. 
"You say nothins-l siMui my hoy wid 

you — 
He take my scow an'punt you ti'oo 

de mash. 
He's good tor dat. He ketch you lot 

o' feesh — 
Nobody know— jes give him lettle- 

cash. 
"Folks t'eesh dat way? Don't ax me 

dat, my friend. 
Come on de Flats an' stay all nigii; 

wid me. 

You h^ar de Inili irog croak, de muJ 

hen s ng, 
Y'ou bring home identy feesh. Come 

up an' see. 

HtlLUA T. HOLI>ANIDS. 

A church with a white spire calls 
ihe people of the district to \vorshi|i 
on Sunday. A grocery supplies them 
wiuh the staple eatables and they find 
a never failing supply of t'i«l' from 
the River. The whole Flats sec- 
tion is a sporlmau's pai'adise. Ducks 
in season aie very plentiful 

At the south end of the Flats lies tl;.-> 
St. Clair Ship Canal. In 1834 it wa.-. 
decided to have the south channel 
deepened, later the idea was aband- 
oned and it was not until ISdd iw.r 
the Canal was started with John 
Brown as contractor. It was to l)e 
20 feet deep and the total length ol 
the dikes was 'J,221 feet. The tim- 
ber used in constructing the Canal 
was cut at St. Clair during the last 
days of the old Tiiiesdail mills in that 
city. Mr. Eugene Smith had the con- 
tiact for furnishing the logs during 
the years 1867-68-6!) and '70. Th • 
logs were rafted down from Saginaw 
Bay to St. Clair whei-e they were saw 
ed into timber. 

The second ship canal was ojx'ned 
in 1906. The total cost of bulh can- 
als was $1,181,301. 



The Lake St. Clair Pishing and 
Sliooting Club has spent $80,000 at 
the Flats and in connection with theii' 
investment there ha.s been litigation 
sirce 1S9.") concerning the ownership 
of the land comprising the Flats. A 
recent decision has been handed down 
wliich says that the land belongs to 
lilt- State of Michigan but that squa- 
tters and others may lease if for use 
as their summer homes. 

A curious feature about the Flats 
is that the residents have been paying 




WESLEY TRTESDAiL 

road taxes for years witliout so much 
as having a s ngle for.t of roadway. 
'I'hey petitioned the Slate recently to 
have the road tax cillected from the 
section devoted to improving the var- 
ious channels in the district. A dec- 
ision is pending. 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



21 




■AUNT" EMILY ^YARD, PIONEER OF MARINE CITY 



22 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



Chapter Nine. 
Recreation for the People 

Pine Grove Park at the head ol: 
St. Clair River in Port Huron is a 
very pleasant place. There is a 
large pavilion, seats and swings a.T 
well as. other park equipment. Band 
concerts are given there during thn 
summer and especially on Sunday may 
be seen large crowds of men, women 
and children enjoying the Park 

South Park, the southern part of 
Port Huron, has a small but very at- 



tlierc in 1920 to be used each year 
for a municipal Christmas tree. Back 
from the River in the Park is to be 
found plentiful shade and on the 
west side of the Park stands the St. 
Clair City Hall built in 18.^>8 for th-^ 
County Court House, which purpos9 
it served while the county seat was 
located at St. Clair. 

Marine City has a park and the 
streets ends abutting on the River 
are very nicely kept. Algonac's River 
front is an attractive spit. Formerly 



1 




TASHMOO PARK 



tractive park with lots of shade an:l 
an old bear hut that was formerly 
occupied by a bear. 

Marysville, the l)i(> ini City, has ex- 
tensive plans for the recreation of its 
people. 

At St. Clair is h(>;nitiful Palmer 
Park extend ng to the water's edge. 
Thit; pleasure spot has a large flag 
pjle, a drinking founain, elm trees, 
old cannon ard cannon balls and a 
large spruce tree which was planted 



there was a tine hotel at Grand Point 
below Algonac but it burned. 

Tashmoo Park, about forty acres of 
land on Harsen's Island is the bi*^ 
l)layground for the River folk and 
thousands flock there on the Star Line 
steamers Tashmoo, Wauketa, Grey- 
hound and Owana. Detroit people 
by the thousand in summer time visit 
this spot, the boat schedule being 
such that the trip can be made from 
Detroit and back conveniently in a 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



23 



-cs^ 







■ IS 

\ ^ 

'1 H 



24 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



single day Indians have booths with 
numerous Indian articles for sale in 
the park and there is a pavilion for 
dancing. There are also swings, 
seats and all sorts of equipment for 
amusement. Safe bathing is found 
alcng the shore and many enpoy a coo! 
dip there on a hot summer's day. 

Below Tashmoo on the River arp 
the resorts of Joe Bedore, Forester's 
landing. Idle Hour, Marshland and 
Star Island. 

One who has not made the voyage 



Marysville and St. Clair. They have 
lately made numerous and extensive 
improvements. 

Stag Island, now owned by the Fra- 
ternal Fellowship Association, com- 
posed of members of the Masons, 
Knights of Pythias and the Odd Fel- 
lows, is being made into a fine resort 
lor the members of tlie Association. 
1 he Island has been platted and the 
lots sold. It is expected that a larg? 
number of cottages will be built ther.^ 
jdiortlv. 




■II 1 I 




PORT HURON PUBLIC LIBRARY 



from I'ort Huron to Detroit on one of 
the River steamers has missfMl a lar;' 
treat. 

Near the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse is 
the farm whjch Avas the boyhood 
home of Thomas A. Edison, now Ed- 
ison Reach. 

[•'or years the steamer CongtM' h;is 
made the trip down the St. Clair 
River from Port Huron and the othiM' 
River towns to Wallacoburg noir tlic 
wind ng Sny Carte. 

The St. Clair River Country Clut) 
have large and beautiful grounds on 
the west bank of the River between 



Chapter Ten 
The St. Clair River in War. 

Duiing the Revolntii)nary War men 
were engaged in cutting the timbef 
from the land where the city of St. 
Clair i^ now locatetl. I';itiick Sin- 
clair had men logging licrc for sev- 
enteen years but t]u\v i)rol)al)ly knew 
little of the War. 

In the War of I SI 2 St. Clair River 
was more or less affected. I<'ort Mac- 
kinaw had been. captured by Gen. Hull 
who laler surrendered Detroit to his 
listing disgrace. In 1813 a little 
fleet was organized on Lake Erie and 



HISTORY OP THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



25 



we are all familiar with the victory 
of Commodore Oliver Perry (a relative 
of Thomas Perry publisher of the St. 
Clair Whig.) Feuee was signed Dec. 
embei' 24th, 1814. The boats engaged 
on Lake Erie in the l)attle above re- 
ferred to were laier raised and forme 1 
a fleet of freight ve^'sels on the lakes 
and rivers. 

The Patriot War, 1S37-:JS, was be- 
tween ijaliiots who lioped to make 
Canada a republic and the loyal Hril- 
ish subjects and so many Americans 
took the part of the patriots that it 
nearly brought on war between IT. S. 
and England. The St. Clair River was 
the scene of an exciting chase thus 
described l)y Isaac Clarke, who lived 
on the St. Clair River, owned a store 
and had helped build some of tli<- 
first houses in this section: "Oup 
morning in July 1S3S I had business 
on the Canadian side of the St. Clair 
River. 1 took my l)rother's old red 
canoe and paddled up the River ab 
out three miles. After transacting 
my business on the return home I not- 
iced unusual excitment down the Can 
adian shore. I saw a small size i 
sloop very close to the American shore 
The wind changed and blew the sloop 
down stream. The Canadians began 
to fire muskets at the Patriot vessel, 
for such it was. I followed at a saf-^ 
distance. Just as I landed at my 
brother's water dock, Capt. Clarke, 
T. Mclntire and Mr. March came run- 
ning from the house and we hastened 
down where the sloop had come 
ashore. The Canadians and Indians 
had crossed the River and were land- 
ing just below the sloop. The Pat- 
riots had gone on shore and were con- 
cealed with their guns waiting for the 
Canadians to land. Captain Clarke, 
who was a justice of the peace, ad- 
vanced to the Patriots and comm.mded 
them in the name of the United States 
to lay down their guns. This of course 
they were loth to do but the comm- 



and was imperative. One of the Pat- 
riot men aimed his gun at Capt. Clarke' 
l)ut the Patriot leader, Capt. Gurd 
shouted "For God's sake don't shoot! 
'that is Captain Clarke." The gun.^ 
were lowered and surrendered. The 
Patriots ran through the woods pur- 
sued by the Canadians. gome of the 
fjrmer ran up to the home of Capt. 
Clarke and asked his wife where they 
c uld hide. She replied "Run to the 
woods" "Pjut there are men there." 
She answered them that those men 
weie the farm hands and would not 
harm them. Our doughy cap 
tain then ran across the fields to 
intercept the Canadians who comm- 
anded the leturn to Canada The 
Indians had l)een promised a part of 
the spoils of war and were determin- 
ed to carry away the guns. They 
were told by Capt. Clarke that the 
suirendered guns were the property 
of Uncle Sam and not to lay a hand on 
them. 

The baffled Canadians and Indians 
returned in their boats to Canada 
empty handed. The guns were tak- 
en to the farm home and stored in a 
long red building used tor grain, wool, 
etc, while the upper story was used as 
sleeping apartments for the hired 
help. An old Scotchman was left to 
guaid the guug at night. About mid 
night he became timid and went for 
someone to watch with him. During 
his short absence a Patriot climbed 
into the back window and handed oUi 
tlie guns to his companions. 

On the sloop were found two prison- 
ers, one a Mr. Ward. The sloop was 
siezed as United States property and 
taken to Detroit 

The following receipt issued shoitly 
afiei' the siezure may be of interest 
here, "Received from Colonel John 
Clarke, a magistrate residing in thc^ 
state of Michigan, the following art- 
icles which were taken from a sloop 
belonging to the Rebel Bowerson, 



26 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



eight bbls, of flour, one of these part 
ly damaged, Ten Bags of Oats, said to 
contain 1^/2 bushels each, Two shov- 
els, One bake oven, about six yards oi 
duck, Three Knives, One Tea Kettle, 
One Ganthorn, twenty-seven spoons. 

W. M. Wright. Lieutenant-Col. Com. 
Moore Militia, Township of Moore 
River Si. Clair, Upper Canada, 2 .luly, 
1S3S." 

In Januaty of 1838, six months 
preceding the incident above related 
Capt. Eber Ward while standing on tho 
dGck at Newport (now Marine City) 
saw a company of Patriots about 40 or 
50 in number march up the River on 
the Canadian side a short distance to 
the gtore of Mr. Gurd which they plun- 
dered cariying away all they cou'd. 

The Caroline was taken by the 
Canadians from the Patriots, set on 
fire and sent over Niagara Falls. 

The Patriots were finally quellei! 
and their cause lost by loyalists under 
Col. Price who lived at Sandwich bo- 
low Detroit on the Canadian side of 
the River. 

In the Mexican War, April 1840 to 
September 1847, St. Clair County fur- 
nished one company of infantry, all 
volunteers. Capt, Buel was in comm- 
and. Among those from St. Clair 
were Noah Farrington, D. Harris, H. 
Cook, a sergeant in Company B. Cook 
died in Mexico. His name was plac- 
ed on the tombstone of the family in 
the cemetery at St. Clair. A supper 
was given to the soldiers of the Mex- 
ican War at St. Clair on Nov. 9 1847. 
Speeches were made by Marcus Miles 
and Judge Copeland, the first presi- 
dent of St. Clair village in 1850. Dan- 
iel Harris is buried in Rose Hill Cem- 
etery neai' St. Clair. 

The Civil War, 18G1-6.''., called 2.r>81 
St. Clair men. These nearly all went 
down the St. Clair River as that Avas 
the method of travel in those stirrin.'? 
days. At one time it was feared the 
towns on the River would be raided 



from Canada by sympathizers with the 
South. The Knights of the Golden 
Circle was organized in Port Huron 
by enemies of the North. The Brady 
Guards from Detroit were sent to the 
St. Clair River as protection. The horse 
that Phil Sheridan rode on his fam- 
ous ride was from St. Clair County. 
'Vhe hoise was named John but was 
called the Leonard Colt. It was sold 
by A. P. Sexton for $90.00 to Russell 
Leonard. The horse was bi'ought to 




S(JLIJ1LUS' MO:;UMENT, PORT 
HURON 

Port Huron for Colonel Cam])l)cll who 
paid $175 for it. 

The following is taken from tlip 
Chicago American of Oct. 2."). 1S41:- 
' Runaway. Fiom sul)scrii)er at Birm- 
ingham, Mo., a negro man named Phil- 
ip, about 35 years of age. There ir, 
a white spot in o'" near the pupil of his 
left eye, and a scar on the hinder 
side of his left arm langing from th*? 
armpit to the elbow, and his three 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAHi RIVER 



27 



last fingers of the left hand fixed half 
bent turned inward, from the effect 
uf the wound. I will pay as a reward 
$15U to any person wliu may appre- 
liend and deliver him. James H. 
Needer." 

The Northern people sympathized 
with the slaves, hence the Under- 
ground Railroad with no track, no 
coaches, no engine nevertheless many 
slaves were through its agency helpei' 
across the Detroit and St. Olair Rivers 
to freedom. Here is a sample of the 
bulletins used in connection with this 
"railroad." 

"Stockholders of the Undergrouml 
R. R. Company hold on to your stock 
'The market has an upward tenden- 
cy By the expiess train which arrived 
this morning at 3 o'clock, fifteen thou- 
sand dollars worth of human mercli- 
andise, consisting of twenty-nine able- 
bodied men and women, fresh and 
sound, from the Carolina and Kentu- 
cky plantations, have arrived safe at 
the depot qU the other side, where all 
our sympathizing colonization friends 
may have an opportunity of express- 
ing their sympathy by bringing foi- 
ward donations of ploughs, etc., faim- 
ing utensils, pick axes and hoes, auvl 
not old clothes, as these emigrants al! 
can till the soil. N. B. — Stockhol.l- 
erg don't forget, the meeting to-day at 
1! o'clock at the ferry on the Canada 
side. All persons desiring to tak" 
stock in this prosperous company, be 
sure to be on hand. By Order of the 
Board of Directors. Detroit. Apiil 11'. 
1853." 

The Spanish-American War in 18!'.S 
took three companies from St. Clair 
County. Five men died of fever in 
the South before they marched to th;^ 
seat of the War. One of these Elihu 
Boynton, a student of the University 
of Michigan, is buried in the cemetery 
at St. Clair. 

In the Great World War, April (J, '17 
to Nov. 11th, 1918, St. Clair County 



furnished her share of men whose re- 
cord has been kept by the D. A. R. 
in Port Huron and St. Clair as well 
as by the State. The St. Clair River 
was patrolled by Government boat^ 
some of which had been tendered by 
owners of private yachts, among them 
being a yacht owned by Mr.^Fleisct)- 
mann. These yachts were painted 
giay, carried cannon and crews of 
about eleven men. Dui'ing their lei- 
sure hours these Jackies were enter- 
tained in the homes of the River town,. 
Tlie following song was written for 
them and sung by them in one of th^' 
homes on a Sunday afternoon: — 
"The Jackies are with us, Hurrah, 

Hurrah, 
'1 lie Jackies are witli us, Hurrah, 

Hurrah, 
They re brave young fellows, we're 

glad they are hear. 
Give them the glad hand and words 

of good cheer, 
When we lie down on our beds to 

sleep 
The Jackies are watching, out o j 

the deep. 
To ward off danger by tieaeherou: 

foe, 
Through the night, the b:g freigh - 

ers safely go. 
' The Jackies are with us, hurrah, 

hurrah, 
The Jackies ;u'(^ with us, hurrah, 

huri-ah. 
They're bravo young fellows, we're 

glad they are here. 
When comes duty's call, they aie 

ever near. 
Our St. Clair River, these Jackies 

patrol, 
If the waves are calm or tlie Inllow- 

roll, 
They know not danger, they have 

not a fear. 
Then here's to the Jackies, che?i- 
upon cheer." 
Tune: "The Campbells Are Coming " 
WTiile our boys were in France o'- 



28 



HISTORY OF THE ST. TLAIR RIVER 



elsewhere in service these young me i 
Irum New York, New Jersey and 
Colorado were here on the St. (!laii' 
River. 

The strangest sight on the St. Clair 
River in the World War were camou- 
flaged boats passing down the River 
These boats were painted various col 
ors with zig zag lines and splashes of 
paint So they would not be so plainly 
seen. Some of these were built u)) 
the Lake and passed down on tlieic 
way to lower ports. 

At Marine City many sub-chasers 
were built. These tugs according t') 
Sidney C. McLouth, their builder, 
' were 150Ft-O" long by thirty foot 
beam by seventeen foot molded depth 
equipped with two ycotch boilers al- 
lowed ISO pounds of steam and a triple 
expansion engine and everything to 
make them the most modern and ser- 
vicable that could be constructed. 
When the armistice was signed, three 
of these boats were well under way; 
a short time afterward, the order for 
six o^' them was cancelled and when 
the three were very nearly completed 
they were cancelled They aie still 
ly.ng in this harbor and are the pro 
perty of the United States Government 
Just what disposition will be made oi 
them is hard to say. They were to 
have been taken to F'rance for us ■ 
in the harboi's and mine laying and 
m.ne sweeping. They were unusually 
seaworthy boats and would have been 
a boat that would have went out in an-, 
weather with safety." 

During the World War the ferry 
boats plying on the River were closels 
watched and all i)assengers on large 
boats as well as on the ferries were 
examined when they entered the couii- 
try. All the ports were closely wat- 
ched to prevent men from evading the 
draft. Any suspicious person wa^' 
not allowed to land and quite a nuni 
ber were turned back. 

An attempt had been made by Ka'-- 



Isclunidt to blow up the St. C-laii- 
Tunnel at Port Huron so all place.s 
(if iniptntance were closely guarded. 
At times Mr. Henry Ford's Eagle.-i 
would come up the River on trial trip . 
to Lake Huron. The big freighter.^ 
put forth every effort to carry flour 
and other goods needed by the U. S 

Owing to the proximity of Selfridge 
Field at Mt. Clemens, airplanes were 
frequently flying over the St. Clair 
River district, sometimes as many as 
eight being in sight at once and once 
a hydroplane flew along the River. 

Such a gala day will never be known 
as St. Clair River witnessed on Lh^3 
day of the announcement of the Ar- 
mistice. First qH Nov. 7 which was 
premature, then at two o'clock A. M 
of the 11th bells rang, whistles blew 
and by nine o'clock the townspeople 
weie wild with excitment and joy. 

The reconstruction period has been 
haid on the River as only a small per 
cent of the freighters are out luis 
year and business of all kinds is 
depressed but these conditions cannoL 
la>'.t forever and we hope soon fo. 
better times. 



Chapter Eleven. Navigation 
The Era of Sail Vessels 
As before mentioned the Griffai wai 
the first sail vessel to pass up the St. 
Clair River in 1679. In 1765 when 
Patrick Sinclair was cutting logs at 
St. Clair there were two sail vessels 
the "Wellcome," and the "Yandot," 
tiaveling between St. Clair and Detroit 
In ISlli the sloop '|Friends Good Will" 
built by Oliver Williams passed up 
the Rivei'. She was later captured 
by the British aiul her name changed 
to "Little Belt." She was recaptured 
liy Com. Perry in the battle of Lake 
lilrie. In June 1814 the U. S. sloopr; 
Niagai'a. and Lawrence carrying '20 
guns each passed up the River o'l 
their way to attack English vessels 
on Lake Huron. 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



29 



In 1818 the first sail vessel was 
built in St. Clair County, the ' Split 
Log," 34 feet long and 9 wide. It 
could carry o4 tons and was intended 
for the use of the Government. It 
was built at Fort Gratiot. 

In 1S24 Samuel Ward of Newport 
(now Marine City) built the "St. Clair" 
the first of a large number of boats 
built by the Wards who were for 
years leading shipbuilders of the Cou- 
nty. 

The first vessel to be built at St. 
Clair was the ' Grand Turk" sniled 
by Capt. Alex St. Bernard. Mr. We:;- 



steam tugs in the early '60's most of 
the vessels were towed through the 
River. 

Sometimes a single tug would havo 
four, six and even eight vessels in 
tow at one time. 

Mr. V. W. Baby states that the fol- 
lowing Tow Boats were running on th • 
river during the years from 1860 to 
IStjri. The sidewheelers J. D. Mor- 
ton, Gore. Bay City, and Magnet, Thn 
following Tug Boats were running: — 

John Martin, Hamilton Morton, Qu- 
ayle, Crusader. Gladiator, Sweepstak- 
es, Mocking Bird. Stranger, Hector. 




TUG CHAMPION TOWING EIGHT VESSELS THROUGH ST. CLAIR RIVER 



ley Truesdail built the "Goliath" of 
279 tons in 1846. 

At an early date many sailing ships 
passed up and down the River, on their 
way to or from Chicago. As early 
as 1836 and 1839 gi'ain shipments by 
boat from Chicago had begun. There 
were no docks at Chicago in those 
days and freight and passengers were 
taken on qi- off by means of canoes. 

Erom th's time on vessels of all 
sorts and kinds were seen on the Riv- 
er. They could make good time 
through the River if the wind was 
good but after the appearance of th(; 



Brockway, E .M. Peck, Balize, Prindi- 
ville, B. B. Jones, Mayflower, J. E. 
Eagle, M. I. Mills, Champion, Anna 
Dobbins, Constitution, John Owen, To- 
rrent, Oswego, Bob Anderson, M. Love, 
M. Grandy, L.L. Lamb, Winslow Tawas 
Reindeer. Pilot, John Lathrop, Young 
America, Armstrong, Lyon, Satalitc, 
Howard. Eclipse, Sami)son, Niagara, 
Wales. Vulcan, Merrick, Burnside, Dis- 
patch, Geo. N. Brady. Zouave, Music 
Frank Moffat, Red Eric, T. D. Dole, 
Kate Moffat, Geo. B. McClellan, Swain. 
During the sailing days on the River 
as high as fifty vessels would be in 



30 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



sight at once, slopes brigs, schooners 
and barques carrying grain, cordwood, 
lumber, posts ties, tanbark, and other 
freight. About 1860 the largest load 
of grain was 20,000 bushels. Today 
this would seem a small amount. 

Freighters. 

The Trader was the first steamboat 
built on the Great Lakes in 1865. She 
could carry 125,000 feet of lumber 



Interlake Steamship Co. 49 steam- 
ers, 2 barges. Flagship, H. G. Dalton. 
Smokestack black with one red band. 

M. A. Hanna & Co. 29 steamers, 1 
tow barge. Flagship, Midvale. Black 
smokestack with large white star with 
red "H" superimposed. 

Great Lakes Ship Co. 20 steamers, 
Flagship, H. S. Wilkinson. Smokestack 
black with bronze band. 




A MODERN FREIGHTER 



The second ship was the Superior, 
p-rom then, on there have been many 
freighters built in the County which 
will be taken up under the industry 
on the River. 

"By their smokestacks you may 
know tliem," is said of the frei.ght(M-.-. 
at present plying the St. Clair River. 
They are as follows: Pittsburg Co. 
79 steamers, flagship James A. Far- 
rel, 21 tow barges. Smokestacks all 
aluminum with black top. 



Hutchinson Co. 21 steamers. Flag- 
ship, Charles Hutchinson, Black stack 
with white "H" on each side. 

Tomlinson Co. IS steamers; flagship 
M. E. Farr. Iron Ore colored stack 
with two aluminum bands. 

Cleveland-Cliff Line, 23 steamers, 1 
low barge. Flagship, William G. 

.Mather. Black stack with red "C" 
on each side. 

Wilson Transit Co. 9 steamers, nag- 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



31 



slrp. General Garretson. Black stack 
with white "W". 

Shenango Steamship Co. fi steamers 
i''lagship, W. P. Snyder, Jr., Black 
liUiokestack with three coloi-ed letter 
S's woven together. 

Postal Steamship Co. Flagship, Johi; 
J. Bailiim Bhu'k stack with aluminum 
band. 

Becker Line, S steamers, Flagship 
Alex Thompson, Black stack with 
white "B." 

Jones & Laughlin Line. Flagsmi), 
Willis L. King. Black stack with Col- 
ored "JAiL." 

Valley Steamship Co. 8 steamers. 

American Steamship Co., (Boland 
and Cornelius) 11! steamers. Flagship 
Harry Yates. Red stack with two 
aluminum bands, Have just install- 
ed wireless. 

Brown transit Co. 4 steamers, Flag- 
ship, Harry H. Brown Dark red stack. 

W. R. Richardson Steamship Co. 1- 
steamers. Flagship H. M. Hanna. 
strongest boat on the Lakes. Black 
stack. 

Great Lakes Transit Co. 21 steamers 
Black stack with red band. Package 
freighters. 

Heibert K. Oakes Steamship Co. .-> 
steamers. Flagship Emily L. Foi'd. 
Black stack with white "F". 

Bradley Transportation Co. 3 stea- 
mers. Flagship, Carl Bradley. Black 
stack. 

Calcite Transportation Co. 2 sell 
loading steamers. Black stack with 
white "L". 

The Imperial Oil boats. 2 steamer;* 
Flagship, Cohen. 

A. T. Kinney Steamship Co. 4 stea- 
mers. Flagship, A. T. Kinney. Black 
stack with white "K". 

McLouth boats of Marine City. <i 
steamers, 2 barges. Flagship, Samuel 
Mitchell, black stack with red "M". 
Other boats of line have black stack. 

The largest boat on the Lakes is 
the Grant Morden, Canadian steamer 



caii-ying grain and coal. Has black 
stack with yellow, white and yellow 
hands. 

John Mitchell Steamship Co. 4 stea- 
mers. Flagship, Fred H. Goodyear. 
Llack stack with bright led band in 
middle. 

I'ringle Barge Line, 2 tugsT 5 barges 

Keiss Steamship Co. 7 steamers. 
Flagship Peter Reiss, Black stack 
with white "R". 

Wyandotte Transportation Co. carry- 
ing stone and coal. Self-loaders. 4 
boats with black stack and red Indian 
with bow and arrow. 

D. Sullivan & Co. 7 steamers. Flag- 
ship W. H. Wolf. Black stack 

Steinberger Steamship Co. 4 steam- 
ers. Flagship Mathew Andrews. Black 
stack. 

Reid wrecking Co. Port Huron, tugs, 
diedges, sandsuckers, black stack wilU 
aluminum band. 

Jenkins Steamship Co. 4 steamers, 
black stack with aluminum band, bear- 
ing black letter "J." 

The "Argo" has a white 'A' on a 
black stack. Stack also has one Alu- 
minum band. 

Brown and Co. 2 boats. Black stack 
with white "B." 

Before the Erie Huron R. R. was 
built on uie Canadian side of the 
liiver, a small passenger boat the 
"J. P. Clarke" ran up and down the 
Canada shore. 

The Brier Hills S. S. Co. Black Stack 
with white emblem with Quality above 
Service below. Mentor. Ohio. 

There are four "w'halebacks" or 
"Pigs" on the Lakes, three being own 
ed by the Pittsburg Steamship Co. 

J. C. Garey of Saginaw has a lum- 
ber barge, the "Omegaw." 

Before the Great World War there 
was a line of Canadian steamers carry- 
ing ties from Port Arthur to Court- 
lighl. They were the "Turret 
Crown," 'Turret Chief,' 'Turret Court,' 
so named from the pilot house being 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



built like a turret. They were take.i 
to the ocean during the war. There 
are also on the Canadian side steame's 
built in Clyde, Scotland. 

There are 38 captains living in St. 
Clair. 

Owing to the reconstruction period 
since the World War not nearly all 
the American l)oats are out this sea- 
son (1921). 

The largest cargo of coal in May 
1921 from Buffalo was 12,722 net tons 
carried by the steamer C. L. Hutchin- 
son. The J. V. Morse carried 12,()()i) 
tons. 

Corn is being shipped through th*^ 
Lakes and Rivers from Chicago to Buf- 
falo for Germany, More corn has 
been shipped the past month than for 
years at a rate on one and three quar 
ters cents. 



Passenger Boats. 
The first steamboat to carry pass- 
engers which passed up the River was 
the side wheeled "Walk-ln-The-Water"' 
in the summer of 1819. She had been 
built at Black Rock near Buffalo th- 
previous year, Mr. Joseph Brown, 
father of Capt. Wesley Brown worked 




THE WALK-IN-THE-WATER. FIRST 
PASSENGER STEAMER TO 
SAIL UP ST. CLAIR RIVER 

helping build her when a lad. She 
was launched May 28th, 1818. The 
boat was 342 tons burthen and Irui 
a low pressure engine. She made the 
trip to Mackinaw and Green Bay, 1819, 



in the interest of the American Fur Co. 
Several passengers made the trip, am- 
ong them Mr. and Mrs. Davis and their 
six year old daughter Elmira who was 
born on the banks of the St. Clair 
River and was the grandmother of 
.Mis. Susie Fox Thompson of St. Clair 
The Walk-In-The-Water ran as a 




DR. .JUSTINE RICE, EARLY PION- 
EER ON THE RIVER 

passenger boat between Detroit and 
Buffalo. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Pal- 
mer, for whom Palmer village (now 
St. Claii- City) was named were on 
their wedding trip in November, 1821 
whtMi the boat struck a rock in enter- 
ing Buffalo Harbor and was wrecked 
No lives were lost but her brief career 
was ended. The boat was 135 feet 
long, 32 feet beam and 8..") feet deep. 
The following description of her is 
interesting: — "Captain .Tol) Fish pil- 
oted the new steamer on h(M- first re- 
gular trip. She left Buffalo August 
23rd, 1818, and August 27th, wheezed 
up to the dock at the foot of Bates St. 
Detroit. Her arrival was a big event 
in that city and the strange craft was 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



38 



inspected by hundreds. The old dyed- 
in-the-wool sailors sniffed their noses 
at her and turned their eyes to the 
passing schooners." 

An eastern paper thus describes her 
trip "The scene presented when the 
boat was ascending the Niagara from 
Black Rock was picturesque. The 
primitive steamboat struggled with 
the rapid current aided by several 
yokes of oxen on the beach tugging 
at tlie end of a long tow line." 

The first regular passenger boat to 
vun between Detroit and Desmond 
(now Port Huron) was the "Argo" in 
1S30 owned and commanded by Capt 
Burtis. She was 42 feet by 9 feet 
wide and 2% feet deep. 

In the summer of 1S3.") there appear- 
ed on the River the side wheeled stea 
mer General Grat:ot with Capt. John 
Clai'ke in command and owned by 
River Capital. The General Brady, 
commiinded by Capt. Burtiss, came on 
the route and the boats ran on alter- 
nate days from Sarnia, Ontario, ana 
Desmond (now Port Huron). Palmer 
(now St. Clair), Newport (now Manr 
City) and Algonac to Detroit. All 
river boats and some lake boats stop- 
ped at Capt. Clarke's dock in East 
China to load cord wood for fuel. In 
riding on the River now one sees at 
intervals decaying spiles which were 
docks for loading cordwood on bot.i 
sides of the River. 

Captain John Clarke took up 200 
acres of land on the River and the 
old home is still standing. He kept 
a large drove of piss and the steward 
of the General Gratiot saved the swili 
from the steamei for them. Wne-i 
the Gratiot blew her whistle the pigs 
woul(Wrush for the wharf. When, 
however," the General Brady whistled 
for the wharf the pigs made no move. 
A passenger on the Gratiot saw th' 
pigs and being told of the incident of 
their coming for one boat and payin";; 
no attention to the other, wrote an 



article for a Philadelphia paper en- 
titled "Capt. Clarke's Learned Pigs." 
After Capt. John Clarke had left the 
steamer Gratiot and settled down to 
run his big farm, one day a steamboat 
coming down the River stopped at 
his dock in East China. The captain 
of the steamer sent for Capt. Clarke 
and upon his arrival told him they 
had had a bad storm on Lake Huron 
and the boat had run into something 
which stove a iiole in her bow so 




CAPTAIN JOHN CLARKE 

he had been on watch for many hours 
and had to keep the pumps going to 
keep the boat afloat. Would Capt. 
Clarke help him out and take tua 
steamer to Detroit? Capt. Clarke went 
down in the hold to examine the hole. 
Then went up to the house, down cel- 
lar to the pork barrel where he fished 
out a big slab of salt pork. Taking 
it down to the wharf he showed the 
men how to wedge it firmly into the 
hole. After the boat was bailed out 
Clarke took command of the steamer 
bound for Detroit, his daughter Eme- 
line accompanying him. In the mean- 



34 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



time the captain of the steamer went 
to his stateroom lor his needed rest. 
The boat reached its destination saf- 
ely but Captain Clarke did not hear 
the last of hig poi'k barrel for some 
time. 

The following extract is from a 
letter written by John L. Agens of Sv. 
Clair in 1835. "Early in the montli 
of May, 1835, I left New York, accom- 
panied by my hound dog, destined for 
Capt. John Clarke's dock in China on 
the St. Clair River" reaching Detroit 
"I made inquiries and learned that 
the steamer General Gratiot left it 
nine o'clock for Desmond at the head 
of the St. Clair River and that it was 
the boat I wanted to go on By the 
way, there was a set of Generals, stea- 
mboat generals. There was the Gen- 
eral Brady, General Jackson General 
Macomb, and General Gratiot, all high 
pressure boats at that time. I start- 
ed with my dog on board the Gratiot 
for Capt. John Clarke's dock in China. 
Soon after leaving the dock the cab- 
in boy started his round over the 
boat ringing a bell and carying out 
"All those passengers that have not 
paid their fare please step to the Cap- 
tain's office and settle." The fare 
fi'om Detroit to Desmond (now Port 
Huiou) was two dollars and fifty 
cents. We crossed Lake St. Clair 
and came up the north channel by th',> 
way of Point du chene below Algonac 
About eight o'clock we landed a. 
Clarke's dock where I and my dog 
left the Gratiot being seventeen days 
and a half from New York." 

Some ninety years ago little Emel- 
ine Clarke and a little girl friend were 
playing in a vacant house on the 
River bank belonging to her father. 
The family who liad moved out left 
a child's wooden cradle and some 
clothes in the basement. The little 
girls made a large rag doll, laid it in 
the cradle and set it afloat on the S.. 
Clair River. The steamer Gratiot 



was rounding Recor's Point with her 
father, Capt. John Clarke, in command 
A call rang out "child in cradle in tha 
River." The steamer slow'ed down, 
a low l)()at put out to rescue the un 
fortunate child in the cradle. You 
may imagine the rest. 

Another boat running on the River 
in 183(j was the Erie. Senator Thomas 
W. Palmer writes "I started from De 
troit on the 17th of November, 1842, on 
the little steamer "Erie," the fastest 
and most attractive of the small lak--- 
steamers of the day. We had to 
break through the ica nearly all the 
way on Lake St. Clair but were landed 
although late, safely at our port. Th_> 
Erie went on to Port Huron and re- 
turned the next day and having the 
i^ame experience with the ice as she 
had the day before was sunk at the 
mouth of the Clinton river. All the 
passengers got safely ashore on th" 
ice." 

Captain Samuel Ward placed the 
Hui'on on the River I'oute in 1940 with 
Capt. E. B. Ward in command. The 
Huron was built at Marine City (then 
Newport) in 183!) and was owned by 
Samuel Ward. She was of 149 tons. 
She ran between Port Huron (Des- 
mond ) and Detroit from 1839 to ISA'Z 
and was then replaced on the route 
by the steamer Champion. In 184S 
the machinery of the Huron was plac- 
ed in the steamer Franklin Moore. It 
is said the Huron earned for the 
Wards on five trips to Buffalo and re- 
turn $15,000. Firemen in those days 
were paid $14 a month, deck hands 
.i;8 and $10 a month. While the Huron 
was running to Buffalo the United 
Passenger lines paid the Wards $15,- 
000 to take the boat off ihe route and 
to keep all Ward boats off that div- 
ision. 

In 1841 Captain E B. W.ird sent 
from Cleveland to Chicago 80 tons of 
coal on their boats. But it did not pay as 
it took them tw'o years to sell it as 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



35 



all wanted to burn wood in those days 
The following is from Chicago Am- 
erican in 1839: — "Distance in these; 
days should be measured by hours, 
not miles. Cleveland to Chicago by 
lakes and rivers 84 hours. From 
Cleveland to Chicago one may travel 
in a good steamboat in four days." 
And this from the same paper of Au- 
gust 13, 1840:— Rapid traveling. We 
understand one of our merchants in 
Chicago reached New York in six days: 
He took steamer to Buffalo, then rail- 
road and steamer to Lewiston and Sy- 
racuse, then railroad to Albany and 



Here is an extract from a letter 
written from Brown's Hotel. St. Clair, 
by Mrs. Henry L. Elsworth of LaFay- 
ette, Indiana to her sister. Miss Bar 
tless of Guilford, Conn. 

"Brown's Hotel, St. Clair, 
July 1st, 185?; 

On P^riday had a carriage ride from 
Port Huron to St. Clair— delightful 
trip the whole distance along the bank 
of the beautiful St. Clair, the river 
of the clear water, transparent, bri- 
ght and cold. 

"P^'lowing from the northern deep 
lakes it never warms and is too cold 




BROWN'S HOTEL, ST. CLAIR. 



r;teamer to New York without delay. 
This is indeed rapid traveling. Six 
days from Chicago to New York Only 
think of it." Read this also from the 
Chicago paper of August 12th, 1840' 
"Great Elxpedition. We understand 
that goods were received at the ware- 
house of Bristol and Porter by steam- 
er Madison in 12 days from New York, 
shipped by the New York and Ohio 
Line on the Canal. Then from Buffalo 
on the Madison." 

The Andrew Jackson, Lady of thi' 
Lake and Major Jack Downing were 
put on the River after the Huron. Als > 
the Franklin Moore, Ruby, Dove, Mar- 
ine City and others. 



for l)athhig. On Saturday. July Isl. 
the Deti-oit steamers from Port Huron 
are an hour earlier than usual. These 
boats are racing, running in oppositioi) 
fare only 25 cents sometimes passage 
offered free. 

"The weather has been terribly hoi 
for the last three days, yet this is a 
most pleasant region in summer— ra- 
ther bleak, I guess, in winter. Lands 
around not much cleared, but where 
they are cleared, produce fine crops. 
The soil is very productive — fruits 
and flov.ers abundant, strav.'berric-s 
excellent — common practice for one 
mortal to eat a quart of them." 

A little later there appeared on the 



36 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



River the Anchor line of boats, the 
finest of that time. These were the 
India, China, Japan and Nyack. They 
ran between Buffalo and Chicago and 
did not stop at the River towns, al- 
though on July 4th, 1879 the Nyack did 
stop at the dock where Palmer Park 
now is to take on board Misses Abbie 
Pearce and Emma Jenks who were 
bound for Chicago. 

The St. Clair Republican of Oct. 
21st, 1873 announces "Half fare on the 
splendid steamer Milton D. AVard daily 
Capt. Woodruff leaves Brady's dock 
Detroit at 11:30 P. M. Star Line 
steamer fare $1.00 (no opposition', 
leaving Port Huron Monday, Wednes- 
day and Friday and Detroit Tuesday, 
Thursday and Saturday Steamer Ca'- 
rie Blood, Capt. H. J. Gordon, from 
Algonac to Port Huron daily except 
Sunday. Steamer George Frost, Capt 
T. J. Rutledge, leaves Bissells wharf, 
Detroit, Tuesday, Thursday and Satur 
day at 9 A. M. and leaves St. Clair 
Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 
Walker's dock, (now the Postoffice) 
at 7 A. M., G. C. Walker agent." The 
steamer Jerome was running on th'^ 
Canadian s/hore. Later the J. P. 
Clarke ran on that route. 

.Tune 26th, 1880, the boat Oscoda 
passed down the St. Clair River with 
a Garfield and Arthur flag at ma^Jt 
and stopped at St. Clair, which is the 
oldest town on the St. Clair R'v^' 
and the County seat for over fift^ 
years. That year the population w:\.- 
1902, having lost 100 in ten years. 

In 1894-9.^ there ^^'tpeared two fine 
new passenger boats on the River, the 
Northwest and the Northland. Capt. 
Wesley C. Brown was master of the 
former for one year and then of the 
Northland for six years. Capt. John 
Hartman was master of the Northland 
in 1902. He writes the following ac 
count of his life, which had been ask- 
ed for by a leading Marine magazine 
"T was born in St. Clair February 



17, 1864. ***** In the spring of 1902 
thp height of my ambition had been 
reached when 1 was informed that 1 
was to command the steamship North- 
land. I at once accepted the appoint 
ment, also during the years of 190". 
1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908. 1909 I serv- 
ed in the same capacity, have also been 
reappointed to the same charge for 
1910. 

"My parents were poor and not able 
to clothe me properly for school so 
that at eight years of age I could reai1 
the First Reader but could not write 
with pen or pencil. On entering school 
I determined to progress as fast as 
possible, which fact soon became 
known to my teacher. Miss Emma 
Jenks. who did all in her power to as- 
sist me to gain the point I was striving 
for. In 1880 I sailed under Capt. Hen- 
ry Fish for the first. I sailed three 
seasons with him." Both Capt. Brown 
and Capt. Hartman were St. Clair 
men. 

The steamer Northland and North- 
west were known as the Northern 
Steamship Co. The linen of the boats 
was woven by special order in Bel- 
fast, Ireland and cost .$17,000 for each 
boat. A picture of the boat wa3 
woven in the larger pieces of linen 
with the monogram of the Great 
Northern Road on the top and under- 
neath the Northern Steamship Co. 
After the death of Mr. James Hill, the 
president of the line, the boats were 
sold to New York parties and plans 
are now made to scrap the Northland 
(The Northwest caught fire at Buffalo 
about 1914, but only the interior of the 
craft was destroyed.) 

Many prominent men of V. S. and 
other countries were passengers on 
the Northland which was a popular 
boat as were both ships. Among the 
famous passengers of the Northland 
were John D. Rockerfeller and family. 
Mark Twain. Ex-Governor Flower of 
New York. Philip Armour and others. 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVRR 



37 



The Ro1)ert H. Jenks Lumber Co. 
uf Cleveland ehai'teied the Northland 
fur a trip for the lumbermen of Ohio. 
On hei' trip she stopped at St. Clair 
and was visited by many St. Claii' 
people. 

On one of the trips of tlie Northland. 
Capt. Brown wired his daughter to 
have St. Claii' young people gather 
on the lawn yf Hon Crocket McElroy, 
the girls to dress in white. This was 
done and when tlie Northland passed 
the great searehlight of the steame'' 
was turned on the group making a 
beautiful picture which was the talk 



tr.p from St. Clair to Detroit was only 
r)Oc then 40c and finally reduced to 
2')C in the desparate effort to hold 
trade. 

Here is a list of the passenger stea- 
mers now plying the River. The Great 
Lakes Co. boats are JunitaL, Octarora 
and Tionesta. Detroit-Cleveland Na 
vigation Company's steamers are City 
(,f Mackinaw II, City of Alpena II, City 
of St. Ignac; they als,, have the Clev- 
eland-Buffalo boats which do not ap- 
pear on the River. The Northern 
Navigation Co. (Canadian) have th^^ 
lluionic, Noronic and Harmonic. Tho 




STEAMER GENERAL GRATIOT 



of the passengers all the trip. 

The fast screw piopeller passengei' 
boat 'Unique" was launched at Marin; 
C.ty and placed on the River route 
May G, 1S95. She was built by the 
Hon. Crocket McElroy. The Unique 
would come from Detroit to St. Claii' 
in three hours and twenty-five min- 
utes aiHl from Broadway, Marine Cltv 
to St. Claii' in thirty minutes. From 
the dale of her appearance on th'^ 
River there were lively times Fares 
were reduced in the competition for 
trade so that at one time the round 



North America and the South Am 
eiica aie owned by the Chicago Dui- 
uili and Georgian Bay Transit Co. Th > 
Northern Steamship Co. besides tho 
Northland and the Northwest have 
six freight carriers. The Star Line 
steamers are the Tashmoo, (T\vana, 
Wauketa, Greyhound and City of Tol- 
edo. These boats run uetween Tol- 
edo, Detroit. Sainia (Out.) and Port 
llurun and stop at all the intermediate 
River towns except M'arysville which 
at present has no dock suitable for 
passenger traffic. The steamer Ta- 



38 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



shmoo makes twenty-two miles an 
hour. Her captain, Burton S. Baker, 
was born and brought up in East 
China on the St. Clair River and at- 
tended the school taught by the writer. 
Mr. James Rickleton who taught in 
the East China schoolhouse is perhaps 
the most widely traveled man in the 
United States. He has been emplov 
ed by Underwood & Underwood of 
New York to photograph out of way 
places in jungles of Africa Persia au'l 



State of Ohio; Capt. Vv^illis McGregor, 
str. Henry B. Phipps; Capt. Matt 
Lghtbody, City of Alpena; Capt. John 
Lightbody, str City of Mackinaw; 
Capt. Chas. Huse, tug Gladiator; Capt 
Fred Hoffman, str. Widner; C-ipt. My- 
lon Chamberlin, str. Zeising; Capt. 
Myron Parsons, str. Albright; Capt. 
Thomas Mclntire, str. Eight Ohio; 
Cap'. Henry Slyfield, str City of Mack- 
inaw; Capt. Wesley C. Brown, str. 
NoiUiland; Capt. Will. Brown, str. 0\v- 




VACHTS ON THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



wherever there is the unknown for 
the use of the New York papers. At 
last accounts he was living a hale, 
hearty ^yM age in East Orange, New 
Jersey. 

It is interesting to note that there 
have been sixteen well known can 
tains from East China. They are .i.s 
follows — Capt. John Chirke, str. Grat- 
iot; Capt. Burton S. Baker, str. Tasli- 
moo; Capt. Phin Kenyon, str. Milton 
D. Ward; Capt. Sherwood Kenyon. stiv 
H. B. Smith; Capt. Will Kenyon, str. 



ana; Capt. John Brown. 

The War steamer "Michigan," later 
the "Wolverine," was the fii-st iron 
boat on the lakes. 

The finest yacht now known is the 
Dodge yacht "Delphine" built at the 
Eeorse plant of the Great Lakes En- 
gineering AVorks. She cost .|2, 500, 000 
and is 274 feet over all. The boat 
was ordered by Mr. Horace Dodge 
befoi-e his death and has been com- 
pleted since. The architect is Mr. 
Henry J. Gielow, a naval engineer of 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



39 



much achievement having built over 
tJOd l)oats and is now at work on the 
(j;{<Jtli ahip. The Delphine has fivi; 
decks, powerful engines and uses oil 
as fuel. Sire can carry enough oil 
to make a trip across the Atlantic and 
leturn. A crew of fifty-four is carrie>l 
on board her. There is a music room 
with pipe oi'gan and a beautiful din- 
ing room. The boat ig fitted with all 
mcjdern equipment of the very latest 
design.- The Delphine came up the 
St. Clair River Wednesday evening. 
May ISth, and stopped at the dock of 
Mr. John Schlinkert who went on her 
to Harbor Beach on her trial trip at 
the invitation of Mr. Charles E. Bais- 
ley who was foimeiiy of the Great 
Lakes Engineering Ship Yard at St. 
Clair. 

During the summer many private 
yachts pass up and down the River 
but the Delphine is the finest one 
iMr. Lyman Holmes' speed boat "Rom 
eo" is often seen on the River. She 
won two races in 1919 with a speed 
of 30 5-10 miles per hour. 

"Not a passenger has been lost on 
any lake boat for ten years," was the 
report of R. J. McLean in Washington 
recently in support of the bill to am- 
end the LaFoUette Seaman's Act. Nol 
a life has been lost on the Canadian 
side for fifteen years. Even off Sag- 
inaw Bay, thought to be one of the 
worst storm zones, no passenger has 
been drowned in fifteen years. 

Boat building was commenced in 
St. Clair County in 1820 when Sam- 
uel Wiard of Newport (now Marine 
City) built the "St. Clair." She was 
the first lake boat to pass througii 
the Erie Caniial and was under Com- 
mand of Samuel Ward. The "Grand 
Turk," was the first boat bult il 
Palmer (now St. Clair) in 1S21 built 
by Barber. The Ward Shipbuilding 
Company of Marine City was the larg- 
est in its day. Eber B. Ward was 



one of the Company. In 1848 they 
built the "Pacific" at a cost of $40,000. 
During twelve years they built many 
beats some side wheel passenger boats 
Altogether there have been built at 
Mar.ne City since 1824 some eighty- 
seven sail boats. There have been 
one hundred seven steamers not in- 
cluding tugs built at Marine City. 
Such well known passenger boats as 
the following have been constructe i 
there:— Huron, 1839; Pearl, 1S51, 
Wave, 1864; Marine City, 1866; Kew- 
ec>naw and George S. Frost, 186s; i>j.i.- 
ton D. Ward; Coburn, 1870; Carrie 
H. Blood, 1871, which ran between 
i'ort Huron and Algonac; City of New 
liallimoie, 187.''^; Northern Belle, 18/6. 
K. ,J. Gordon, 1881, a river boat; Mary 
1S82, the popular river boat which ran 
until the Rapid Railway was built 
in 1900; two tugs were built at Marine 
City the Mayflower in 1864 and the 
M. I. Miles in 1867 . 

In Port Huron fi'om 1838 were built 
one hundred twenty-six sail vessels 
including the sloop Temperance 1838; 
the brig Robert Burns of 307 tons, 
1818, which was the last full-rigged 
brig on the lakes. There was built 
at Port Huron from 1847 to 1903 forty 
six steamboats including the steamer 
America and the Eastland which over 
turned in Chicago river with much 
Isy of life. Tugs were built at Port 
Huron as follows: — Ida S. Botsford, 
1866; Frank Moffatt, 1869; Gladiator, 
KS7] ; Saginaw, 1873; Red Ribbon, 187" 

The Grank Turk was the first boat 
built at St. Clair. She was construct- 
( d in 182i"), and her captain was Alex- 
;>n(ler St. Bernard Twenty-eight sail 
vessels were built at St. Clair. From 
1820 en thei'e have been built on thi' 
St. Clair many boats of many kinds 
which are mentioned in the chapter 
on boats. Some of the best known 
shiiiyaids on the River were the Jenks 
Shpbuikling Co., Port Huron, Langell 
Shipyard, St. Clair, the Great Lakes 



40. 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



Engineering Shipbuilding Co. below 
St. Clair where many big freighters. 
I he car ferry Ashtabula and the tubes 
for the Michigan Central Tunnel at 
Detroit were built. 

Many boats have been built at Mar- 
ine City and Algonac is known the 
Country over as the home of fast 
cpeed boats. Between 1866 and 1871 
there were built in St. Clair County 
335 boats with a tonnage of 86,027 tons 
At this time there were five shipyards 



was the first of these. Twenty-six 
sLeam boats have been built at Al- 
gonac incjuding the steamer Philo 
Parsons, 1861, 221 tons, which wa.s 
captured by Confederates in 1864 on 
Lake Erie. * The ferry Detroit an 1 
the tugs James E. Eagle, 1860, and 
C. \V. Armstrong, 1864, were also bu'it 
in Algonac. 

Gar Wood and his 50-foot spee.l 
boat. Gar II, have placed Algonac on 
the U. S. map in his spectacular trip 




SPEED-BOAT WITH SURF RIDER ST. CLAIR RIVER 



in Port Huron, the largest being the 
Fitzgerald's yard. The Detroit ant! 
St. Cla'r Steamboat Company was oi- 
ganized in Port Huron April 15th IS:-!', 
The Wolverine Dry Dock erected in 
1875 built several large vessels. Dun- 
ford and Alverson built some of the 
largest vessels on the lakes. Boai 
building has been carried on contin'i 
ously on the River since 1820. 

At Algonac from 1.836 to 1897 there 
were built forty seven sail vessels. 
The George Hamilton built in 1830 



from Miami, Florida to New York, rac- 
against passenger train time. Owing 
to an accident Mr. Wood just lost 
the race. The train time was 42 
houis, 31) minutes for 1480 miles. Mr 
Wood is now after records on ocean 
trip-. A new speed boat will be 
built for him by Chris Smith, the Miss 
.\merica II. Neither money nor pain^ 
will b(> spared in her construction. 

One of the most recently completed 
pi'oducts of Cliiis Smith's boatbuild- 
ing industry is the hydroplane, "Miss 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



41 



Chicago," built for the Chicago yacht 
chib. Her first race was Peoria, III. 
on July 2, ]f)21. 

Built at Marysville the propeller 
Peninsula, 1849; the barge City of 
Tawas lSfi4: steamer N. Mills. 1870, 
J. E. Mills 1883; eight sail vessels and 
one tug. 

At Fort Gratiot were built 181S to 
1890 six sail vessels. The sloop Split 
Log built by the U. S. Government was 
the first. 

East China furnished from the Hen- 
ry Clay in 1844 to 1849 a total of eleven 
vessels. Cottreville beginnin;.'- with 
the Avenger in 184.^) prrifluced eight 
vessels and steamer Uiidino, ]8.''ir). 
Harsens Island 18r)9-'(;(i was th.- scane 
of the building of two sail vessels. A 
sloop and a schooner were built iu 
Clay township 1827-'6.3. 



was the chosen home of the wolverine 
so enduring, so courageous, his name 
lipcame a synonym for pluck and 
prowess." 



WHAT IS A WOLVERINE? 

Some have asked. "What is a wolv- 
erine?" Mr. Stanley Waterloo a form- 
er St. Clair man, thus describes it in 
his book "The Launching of a Man." 
"When white men first trod the 
forests of the lake surrounded state 
named Michigan,, they found there 
a creature which interested them 
while it created something of a dread 
"Little Wolf" as the ignorant think 
is not the signification of "wolverine" 
but somthing of greater dignity, an 
embod'ment ^t the terrible spirit of 
the w'ld life of prehistoric forests. 
Woiidci ful in its strength and courage, 
a tree (limber on occasion, not immense 
of size but with limbs nearly as heavy 
and claws as great as those of a bear, 
with a muzzle almost hog-like but 
with great white fangs. The beast 
had a little of an element of the grot- 
esque in its make-up. with its sweep- 
ing, bushy tail and broad bands of 
yellow-white upon its back and shou 
Iders. Of all the continent, Michigan. 



Chapter Twelve _^ 

Industry on the River. 

Tiip earliest industry on the Great 
Lakes and Rivers was fur tradin/' 
between the BYencli and Indians. As 
early as 161.5 Frenchmen had come r: 
the shores of Lake Huron and some 
distance down the St. Clair River 
but did not go below it. 

La Salle's expedition on the Griffin 
in 1G79 was to carry on the fur trade 
and the boat was loaded with furs 
when she sank. At St. Clair Patrick 
Sinclair bought furs and Cadillac and 
a lively fur business in Detroit from 
1701. 

There have been in the past follow- 
ing this fur trade three great indust- 
ries on the shores of St. Clair River 
lumbering, boatbuilding and the salt 
industry. Many of the pioneers of 
the River started their fortunes from, 
i^hese. Lumbering commenced in 
neii when Patrick Sinclair cut the 
timber from the present site of the 
city of St. Clair. Some of the fines* 
timber of white pine and cork pine 
was in the central and northern part 
of tlie County and hardwood timber in 
the western and southern part. By 
1870 most of the timber land in the 
County had been cut over but ther(> 
have been some tracts cut since. 

In 1900 there was cut 300,000 feet 
of pine timber on the farm of E. C. 
Crampton on the Range Road, and in 
191 fi quite an amount of timber was 
cut on the T. W. Bacon farm on the 
Hart Road. 

"Cleveland, Oct. 2nd, 1838. 
Mr. .1. Clarke, 
Dear Sir: 

The bearer, Mr. McDonald Campbell 



42 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



is an agent for our house of Smith 
Merrick & Co. doing a lumber busin- 
ess, Mr. Campbell visits your vacin- 
ity looking for oak to make staves 
for the Quebec trade. Any informa- 
tion or assistance you can render hini 
will be a favor to be remembered by 
Your Most Obedient Servant, 
Jesse Smith, per E. Smith." 
Naturally the saw mill was a larerr 
part of the lumber industry. Some 
cf the mflls were run by water, some 
bv steam. Port Huron had five mills. 



along the River from 1780 w^hen Du- 
peron Baby built a saw-mill at Bunce 
Creek until about 1870 when the timb- 
er lands were mostly cleared. 

Hon. Omer D. Conger writes to 
.Judge Eldridge of Mt. Clemens telling 
of the logging days and early days of 
tlie Ccunty seat at St. Clair, "Detroit 
lawyers with all their great skill and 
jud'cial knowledge fluttered and flou- 
ndered in utter helplessness amklst 
the technical phrases and curious 
romenclature of the raftsmen and 




TRUESDAIL'S FI^OUR AND SAW MILL, ST. CLAIR 



St. Clair seven, Newport (Marine City^ 
one and Algonac two, Some of these 
mills had large tracts of land around 
the mill, some at Vicksburg (Marys- 
ville). . In 1867 Port Huron had sev- 
en mills. 

The Truesdail mills in St. Clair 
gave work to many men. All werj 
burned at various times, the last one 
at the mouth of Pine river burned in 
February 1876. Mr. Eugene Smith 
who had leased the mill then went to 
Marysville and ran the Sanborn mill 
on the River for some years. 

The hum of the saw mil) was heard 



river boys." 

B :atl)uilding has been lak<Mi up at 
lengfli in the ])iPcoding cliap, er. 

The Salt Industry. 

In 1SS2 the Marne City sail wd! 
W;is bored to the depth cf 1.7 IS feet 
In 1884 there was one salt bh)cU and 
in 1886 there were twelve in the Coun 
ty. At present there are four. 

in 1S84 there were made 74,677 ha'-- 
lels of salt. In 1!)10 exclusive of 
table or dairy salt there was made 
1.296,65.5 barrels. The Diamond Cry- 
stal has eleven wells. 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



43 



The Diamond Crystal Salt Company 
was founded in 1S87. For ten years 
the plant did not pay a dividend but 
owing to the indomitable will and 
push of the founders, headed by Mr. 
C. F. Moore, the plant was kept up. 
A disasterous fire in 1S!»2 would have 
daunted less determined men but al! 
obstarles were overcome so that th ■ 
plant has now attained great pros- 
perty. The pres3nt officers are Pres- 
ident, Mr, Henry Whiting; Vice-pres 
ident, Mr. Reuben Moore; Secretar.\ 
and Treasurer, Mr, Franklin Moore, 

The Diamond Crystal covers at lea'^t 
fifteen acres with a floor space of 
3,50.000 square feet. It has 25 pumps 
w th a capacity of :!r>,000,000 gallons 
per day. It uses ab.iut 100 000 feet 
of pipe, nearly twenty miles. About 
TFi.OOO feet of brass tufun^ s r.ead to 
the steam heaters fir heating the 
brine which is in large vats. 

The Diamond Crystal rait is nearly 
pure as the gypsum is removed. On 
top of the main buikling on the Rivei 
side is the sign 'The Diamond Crystal 
Salt Co.' and on the north side 'The 
Salt That s All Salt." These inscrip- 
tions can be seen for miles lightel 
at night I)y electric lights. Usuallv 
the Company employees about r)00 
people. The output of salt is 4,000 
barrels a day and it takes 240 tons of 
coal a day to produce this amount of 
salt. 

Formerly the salt was shipped over 
tile St. Clair River in boats but now 
the Handy Bros. Railway takes care 
of the shipping. 

Mr. Henry Whiting, President ot 
the Company has the following t" 
say regarding the strata from whicli 
the Company obtains its salt: — 

"In regard to our salt wells would 
say that, salt under this section of 
the coun'ry extends fi'om Godericli 
Ontario, down through Michigan int > 
Ohio. On the east side of Michigar; 



there is plenty of salt and on the 
west side there is plenty, but it tap- 
ers off into fewer and thinner strata. 

"Under St. Clair the first salt is 
found at 168.". feet and ig about .10 
feet thick. After that therp are on^^ 
of two strata about 10 feet'' thick, and 
one at 2200 feet which is 250 feet thick 
then one 80 feet thick. 

"We have never operated in this 
last stratum. We found it a couple 
(f years ago in rinkin.g a deep well. 

"To operate tliese wells we put down 
a (ii/j incli pipe to shut (,ff tlie rock 
giavel. etc that is clown there. In- 
side of that we put a .']% inch pipe. 
down which we pump water, let it dis- 
selve the n)ck, and the pi-essure br- 
ings the brine back to our block for 
use." 



Other Industries. 

St. Clair County had in ISSO 46.19." 
People. These wer.o engaged in farm- 
ing, a little earlier there were grist 
mills, two tanneries at St, Clair. th:= 
\icol Wollen Mill, stave factory, Hub 
and Spoke ou the site occupied later 
liy the shipyard. There was also 
a sash and door mill, harne s shops 
and the Draper shop where fly nets 
were made. The brickyards were 
also busy and there was a foundry. 

At Marine City in 1874 there was 
the Marine City Stove Works headed 
by Crocket McElroy. 

Near Algonac on Stromness Island 
in 1817 there was a pottery built by 
.lohn K. Smith. Two men who had 
been in the war of 1812 and who un- 
(I'^rstuod the business were associated 
with him. They manufactured brown 
ware during the summer. 

Fisheries. 

F'ormerly there was quite an exten 
sive fishing industry on tlie River 
Mr. Frank Hammond lias furnish"! 
the following data: — "The Hammond 



44 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 





HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVRR 



I'Msliery commenced fishing in 18!)4. 
Size of net used 64 fathoms long and 
4V- fathoms tleep. Number of horses 
to i)ull net 2; Number of men employed 
5, length of land line 1400 feet, leng- 
th sea line 1,000 feet, large catch l^o 
ton, average catch 200 pounds, made 
haul every hour while run was on, 
greatest number of sturgeon caught 
in season 4;;, largest sturgeon weigh- 
ed 124 pounds, average sturgeon wei- 
ghed S5 pounds. Number of species 
caught 32 mullet, suciver, sturgeon 
redhorse and slieepliead were kept in 
ponds while otlier fish were packed 
in ice at once; fish were marketed at 
New York City and Detroit Number 
of years in operation 5" The Ham- 
mond fishery was located in East 
China. 

The St. Bernards had fishing shant- 
ies above St. Clair where they some- 
times shipped 25 or 30 barrels a day. 
White fish were plentiful in the River 
those days and were caught with seine- 
Many sturgeon which they caught 
were kept in a pen in tiie River with 
other fish until sold. These sturgeon 
would reach 100 pounds in weight and 
measure six, sevent oi' eight feet. 
One summer Mr. St. Bernard obtained 
the consent of the U. S. Government 
to establish a fishery on the Bar op- 
posite St. Clair. 

An early I'isherman was one Dupre:'. 
v/ho married tlie daugliter of Crann.v 
Rodd. 

The fishing season on the River 
begins in May and no better treat 
can be had than tlie first pike or pick- 
eral, although i)ercli, black and green 
bass, and l)ull])out are good eating. 

In the days of sail boats men and 
boys along the River would troll down- 
stream fishing in the morning and 
later in the day would catch a tow be- 
hind the lumbei- barges going back up 
stream. Sometimes one, two, three 
or four rowboats each behind the 



other would be attached to a schooner 
Upon the advent of the large steel 
freighters this practice was discon- 
tinued as dangerous. Mr. Phin Carroll 
on the tug Gladiator of which Mr. Chas 
Huse was master went up the River 
wiJi two schooners and sixteen row- 
Ijoats attached on one occaSTon. 

One summer morning many years 
ago Capt. Phin Kenyon of East China 
staiteti out fishing. He rowed across 
to drift down stream. Glancing up lie 
saw an object in the water and found 
it to l)e tlie body of a little girl floating 
on lier back. lie tiuickly fished her 
out, bearhcnl liis boat and ran witli 
lu>r in liis amis to tlie Bowen place 
whic-h was tlie nearest. There he 
found tile child was the little grand- 
daughter of (he family who had not 
been missed. After her wet clothing 
had been removed and she had been 
lubbed, dressed and rested she was 
no worse for her short involuntary 
ride on the St. Clair which would have 
terminated fatally had it not been for 
the timely arrival of Capt. Kenyon. 

Industry m 1921 

As this liistory of the St. Clair 
Itiver has been written on the oc 
casion of the Centennial of the foun 
(ling of the County in May, 1821 it 
will be intei'esling foi' future readers 
to know of industrial conditions along 
the Kivei' in the year 1921. 

In Poit Huron there are at the 
north end the Holmes Foundry, Port 
Huron Sulphite Paper Co., Port Hur- 
on Chicory Co., Fead Milling Works 
which did much war work in knitting 
lor the Boys, etc., the Draper Manuf- 
lacturers and the Kern Products Co. 

In South Port Huron aie the Porr 
Union Engine & Thresher Co., Two 
Holmes Foundries founded in 1915, 
Mr. Holmes has many white 
and colored laborers. The Great Lakes 
Foundry Company, Moak Company 



4f) 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



Anker Holth Co. manufacturing cream 
seperators, United Brass & Aluminum 
Mfg. Co., Amei'ican Bushing Corpora- 
tion. 

The Aikman Bakery Co. is a large 
concern. The Foundation Company 
had made extensive plans for shij) 
building for war work but the Ar- 
mistice was signed before much was 
accomplished. 

The Grand Trunk Shops in Port 
Huron build new passenger cars, and 
rebuild old ones. They have a plat 
of 160 acres of land out '32m\ St. with 
a planing and electric shop, a depart- 



ed in 1921. and Marine City has paved 
her main streets. The river road has 
been widened. Michigan expects to 
pave 1,000 miles in 1921, of which S:. 
Clair county has her share. Gratiot 
Road is being paved. IVIuch progress 
is being made in aerial mail service, 
and it needs no prophet to predict in 
the near future air service along the 
river for passengers and mail service. 
By June 1st passenger and freight 
service is planned between Detroit 
and Cleveland. Three machines are 
to be used carrying five passengers 
and 1.300 pounds of freight. . 




ONE OF THE HOLMES FOUNDRIES 



ment where copper, nickel and silver- 
ware articles for cars are made, also 
headlight reflectors, drinking tanks 
and all accessories to passenger cars. 
They also have an upholstering de- 
partment. Beautiful flower beds add 
to the atti'action of the plant. 

St. Clair County is building good 
roads. In 1920 the River Road was 
completed so now there is fine traffic 
facilities fiom Port Huron most of the 
way to Algonac. The country is pro- 
gressing, as in 1920 there were finish- 
ed in the U. S. 20,000 miles of 
good roads, and January 1, 1921 
Michigan lei contracts for $.5,- 
500,000 for roads. The Hart road 
from St. Clair to Muttonville was finish- 



The Rapid Railway. 

It is a long step since Barzilla 
Wheelei' followed the Indian trail 
along the shores of Lake St. Claii' 
and the liver to the Rapid railway 
which now puts passengers from th'' 
river district in Detroit in two hours 
on the American side of the stream. 
Mr. Wheeler thus writes of his jour- 
ney. "In May, 1818. we set out witli 
two yoke of oxen and a cow destined 
for Pine River, the site of the present 
village of St. Clair. We drove them 
up the lake shore and were four day'^ 
reaching there. The only signs of a 
building were the dilapidated walls 
of a brick house standing on the op- 
posite side ol Pine river, which was 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



47 



said to have been the residence of 
I'atrick Sinclair. Mr. l'\ilton sent up 
a boat with my wife, wlio was the 
only woman here for a year. "Mr. M. 
R. llarmer. agent for the Rapid I'ail 
w.iy at St. Claii-. furnishes the author 
with the following account of the rail- 
way : 

"Twenty-one years ago the Rapid 
railway began passengei' and freight 
service between Detroit, Port Huron 
and intermediate points, and in the 
intervening years between 1900 an 1 
the present date the line has proven 
one of the big factors in the growth 
and development of the various com 
munities which it linked through fre- 
quent service. 

"At this time pei'haps a bit of early 
history of this railway, now one of 
the finest in.erurban lines in the 
country, will be of interest to patrons 
in St. Clair county. It was in Miiy, 
1892, that the first street car line wa.< 
built on Gratiot avenue in Detroit a'-' 
far as Leesville. In Wlarch, 1S!)4, 
franchises for a railway between 
Detroit and Mt. Clemens were secur- 
ed by the late .Judge Riley, and this 
work was pushed along rapdly so 
that in July, ISDf), through servic.' 
between Detroit and Mt. Clemen.; 
began. In 189G General Manager 
Frank W. Brooks of the Rapid i-ail- 
way, now president of the Detroit 
United Lines, caused much rejoicing 
when he announced that the line 
would be extended north from Mt. 
Clemens to Port Huron. On July 4. 
1898, a special car ran through t(: 
Algonac marking the opening of ser- 
vice that far north on the line. Be- 
tween that date and li'OO track build- 
ing work was prosecuted in several 
'ections between Algonac and Port 
Huron, and eai'ly in 1900 through ser- 
vice between Detroit and Port Huron 
was inaugurated. At that early date 
both passenger and freight service was 



given. Both branches of transpor- 
tation have expanded wonderfully 
since then, until now the Rapid rail- 
way operates twenty-five of the lat- 
(^st, most modern and commodious 
passenger motor and trail cars pos 
sessed by any interurbaiv railway in 
the United States or Canada. It also 
operates twenty large and modern 
freight cars which in the course of a 
year carry a large volume of shipments 
The volume of passenger traffic, too, 
has reached large proportions, the 
line not only assisting materially in 
the industrial development of the vil- 
lages and cities through which it pas- 
ses but also being responsible to a 
great degree for the development of 
the summer resort activities along the 
the route. During 1920 on the Rapid 
railway interurljan cars alone nearly 
four and a half million revenue pas- 
sengers wei'e cairied." 

The St. Clair i-ivei- district has good 
railroad facilities. The Grand Trunk 
comes into Port Huron thiough the 
tunnel fr.om the east, parallels the 
liver south some distance back, and 
extends west and south to Chicago. 
The Pere Marquette goes noith to the 
'1 humb district. The Detroit, Bay 
City & Western R.R. (Handy Bros.) is 
said to be the only railway built dur- 
ing the World War in the United 
States and an especial permit was 
^iven for its construction. This road 
luns passenger service from Bay 
City to Port Huron and freight cars 
lun to St. tMair, where a neat little 
depot has been built upon the sit:^ 
of the stockade of Patrick Sinclair. 
The ultimate destination of the road 
is Detroit. 

At St. Clair a branch of the Mich- 
igan Central runs to I^enox and con- 
nects there with the Deti'oit train on 
the Grand Trunk. 

The Erie Huron R.R. runs down the 
river shore on the Canadian side from 



4S 



HISTORY OK TllK ST. Cl.AIll lilVlilR 



Sarnia to Rondeau, opposite Cleve- 
land, and at Courtright the Canadia^i 
Southei'U is the shortest route to 
Buffalo. 

There ig Western Union and Pos- 



to Detroit. This was in use from IS^'J. 
to 1J>17 and was the oldest toll line 
in Michigan. St. Clair had its first 
service in 1883 when Dr. George J. 
Ward was the first manager. 




JUSTIN R. WHITIXC 



tal Telegraph service in the district. 
A telephone system was installed 
in the St. Claii' River district in 1881: 
when the first toll line was built from 
Port Huron to Detroit, going through 
St. Clair, thence out the Hart road 



VK 1888-189:". 



The Detroit Edison Company 
Mr. A. C. Marshall, vice-president 
of this company, speaks as follows 
regarding his company's present ac- 
tivities in the St. Clair river district: 
"Regarding the Edison Company's 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



49 



activities in general in tlie St. Claii' 
River district, we are now doing all 
the electric light and power business 
along the entire length of the river: 
that is in Port Huron, Marysville. St. 
Clair, Marine City, Algonac and along 
the north channel to Pearl Beach. 
We have sub-stations in Port Huron 
Marysville. St. Clair ad Marine Ci+y 
At present this district gets its sup- 
pl.v of current from our general trans- 
mission system through two r)0,00(l 
volt i'nes and many 2.3.000 volt lines 

"The biggest construction job we 
have under way is the building of the 
pnwer house on the river at the month 
of Bunce creek in Marysville. This 
will be the third large power hous ■ 
of this company, the other two being 
in Detroit at Delray and Conners 
creek. This Marysville plant will be 
as large as eitlier of the othrr two. 
and is designed for about 130.00(1 
kilowatts. The first unit to be in 
stalled will probably amount to 20,- 
000 kilowatts; the cost of this first 
installment of the plant will be over 
two million dollars. The work al- 
ready completed consists of f(vin- 
datious for boiler room, turbine room 
and screen house, together with in 
take and overflow canal, and a com- 
plete system of railroad tracks and 
br'dges. The structural steel for fh.' 
building has been seriously delaye-'. 
but is now nearly ready for erection. 

"The Detroit Edison Company is 
spending this money because it be- 
lieves in the future of the St. Claii' 
River district. It has always been one 
of the most delightful residence spots 
in the world and there is a measure 
of regret in my realization that it is 
bound to be a great industrial distiicl. 
hut we feel sure this 'i^ coming and 
this company wants to be ready for it." 

The old .ludge Bunce home on the 
hank qH the St. Clair river is now use i 
as a community home for the erxi- 



l)loy(>es ,,f the Edison Company at 
Bunce Creek. 



Mueller Metals Co., Port Huron, Mich. 

The history of the Mueller Metals 
("o. on Lapeer Ave goes l)ack to the 
opening of a small shot) iu Decatur. 
Illinois, in 18.^)7 by H. Mueller, the 
father of the present Mueller exec- 
utives. This plant gradually grew 
and become known the Country over 
as a maker of quality plumbing, watei' 
works and gas goods. By 1912 there 
was such a Canadian demand for 
Mueller goods that the H. Mueller 
Mfg. Co. Ltd.. of Sarnia. was organ- 
ized in that year to supply the Can- 
adian trade. When the World War 
broke out in 1914 the Sarnia plant 
became actively engaged in making 
munitions. Theii' success in this line 
was so great that when the United 
States entered the wai- in 1917 the 
Mueller family weie at once encour- 
aged to put up an American idant for 
the making of component munition 
parts such as shells, brass fnrged fuse- 
parts, brass and bronze rods and brass 
and copper tubing. For one year the 
plant was engaged exclusively in war 
work and employed w^ many as ISO'i 
men and women. It was during thi,4 
lieriod that the bi'ass forging indu^'- 
try. which this company has advanced 
to its present stage of development, 
was evolved. 

In March. 1919. the Mueller Metals 
Co. started the present commercial 
business of manufacturing brass an^i 
bronze rod. brass and copper tubing 
brass, bronze and aluminum forging'; 
and sand castings, aluminum and 
wli'te metal die castings and screw 
machine i)rodncts. The firm had at 
that time not a single customer and 
had to go ()Ut and hunt business amon^^ 
lirms which knew nothing about the 
Mueller firm except that they had 
made brass goods for th(^ LT.S. govern- 



50 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 




JUDGE ZEI'HAXIAH W. CUXCE 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



51 



ment. However, tlie superiority of 
Mueller goods and the developments 
that had been made in the bras.-s 
forging process enabled this fif™ to 
sell $1,299,177.54 worth of goods from 
March 1st, 1919, to December 31st of 
that year. In 1920 business increased 
to $2,403,082.08. With a business of 
this size in its s'^cond year with only 
one salesman on the road, it is not 
anticipating too much to say that in 
the near future tli's firm will be doint; 
many times this amount of busines.^. 

The plant covers 25 acres on Lapeer 
Avenue and all of the buildings hav 
a capacity to employ 2.000 men, altho 
under present normal conditions only 
700 men and women are employed. 

The recreation building which the 
firm has built for the employees 
contains a well equipped hospital, 
room and locker rooms. This is 
only one instance among many of the 
interest which this company takes 
in the employees welfare. A sick 
and accident insurance society has 
been organized, and also an invest- 
ment associationn which has for its 
purpose the encouraging and aidinf, 
the employees to own their own 
homes. A complete canteen serve:- 
meals to the employees. The indu-- 
trial committee discusg welfare work 
and pass on all changes in policies 
and settle all grievances. This same 
policy is being carried out in both 
the United States and Canadian plants 
of the company. 

The Mueller Metals Co. has made 
more developments in the brass forg- 
ing process than any other firm in thi.; 
country. In time these forgings will, 
because of their superiority, take thn 
place of brass castings. Think of th.; 
millions of pounds of brass casting-^ 
used in this country each year and 
knowing that the Port Huron plant 
leads the world in this industrv it is 



not hai-d to believe in a great future 
for this firm. 

Other features which strengthen 
belief in the firm's large future pos- 
sibilities are the recent discoveries 
of "Relleum ' bronze, a red brass 
which an be extruded, forged or 
machined without losing" color, and 
"Xiag," a nickel-silver which takes 
the place of nukel-plated brass pro- 
ducts. Al<;o the situation of th'? 
Murller Plant in Port Huron gives 
the firm an advantage over her com 
petitors as they are, with few excep- 
tions, in the east and must get their 
raw materials from Michigan and 
points even farther west and then ship 
the finished product back to Michigan 
to compete with Mueller products of 
Port Huron, wh'ch is much closer 
to both the source of raw metal sup 
j)ly and the middle west markets. 

The present directors of the com- 
pany are, O. B. Mueller. C. C. Heiby 
A. Muellei-. F. L. Riggin. P. :\Iueller 
F. B. Mueller, and R. Mueller. 



The Marysville Development 
:\lyron Williams came to St. CHir 
river from Cleveland June 1832 on 
the steamer Gratiot. He and Capt. 
Clarke, of the steamer, became friends 
and the families have kept up the 
f.iendship for three generations. He 
helped build the Blnck River steam 
mill, and built more mills that any 
man in the state. He built a mill at 
:\Iar\sville, then called Vicksburg. 
He married Mary Gallagher. The\ 
had three soiis and six charming 
daughters, who were familiarly known 
to their friends as Puck. Tam. Han, 
Fat. Tit. and Em. The latter married 
.Mr. Henry McMorran of Port Huron, 
who is well known in the river dis- 
trict. Mary was Mrs. Nelson Mills. 
The three sons were William, .Job!! 
D.. and David. The mother's namo 
was Mary Gallagher, known to the 



52 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 




■«^ 



t;'-."'"' 



H. MUELLER MFG. CO. LTD. OF SARNIA 







:'^^X 




\ ^ 




MUFLLKR METALS CO.. PORT HURON 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



53 



early settlerg as Polly, and for her 
Marysville was named. The old 
house rang with the laughter and 
good times of the young people. The 
only daughter now living ig Mrs. Guy 
Kimball of Port Huron. The Will- 
iams home was lately the office of 
Aldinger Co., construction contractors 
for the Wills interests. The house 
is now filled with factory employees. 
The Nelson Mills home is the office 
of the Marysville Land Co. The 
Barney Mills home is now a boardini^ 
house. The Reuben Mills house 
stands on the river just south of the 
old hotel, now a cafeteria. The south 
part of this hotel was built in 1830 
by Vickery and the north end added 
in the 9U's by one George Smith, who 
with his brother Ruel was an early 
yettler and lumberman. 

At a veiy early day there came to 
the river Mr. Vickery, who so domin 
ated the settlement that it was caiieii 
Vick s burg and later Vicksburg. The 
old Methodist church which was built 
in 1862 is now a community church. 
Other early families were the Radi- 
gans 1851, ,and the Carpenters, 1850. 
Two of them gave the writer infor- 
mation. Obediah Gardner owned a 
large tract of land running west. There 
were two daughters, Olive and Hai-- 
riet, the latter now living on the Gra- 
iot road. The Gray family were there 
many years. Mrs. Gray is still living 
at an advanced age in Cleveland witii 
her son Guy. t-ol. Stephen Mack, the 
first merchant in Detroit, at an early 
day bought 30U acres on the river, 
later known as the Geo. W. Carleton 
farm. Mr. .loe Brown, a pioneei', 
worked this farm. Charles Mack, son 
of Col. Mack, was in the U.S. navy 
He was a lit-uleiiuiit on a revenue 
cutter (schooner) and the boat often 
stopped at the dock of Col. Mack, 
some distance below the private dock 
of Mr. C. H. Wills, where Mr. Wills' 



yacht the Marold II is now moored 
The latter asked Mr. Geo. Carpenter 
what should be the name of the new 
city. Mr. Carpenter replied "Marys- 
ville." Mr. Wills then said, "My 
mother's name and my wife's name 
being Mary, the name Marysville will 
be kept," * 

The Currys, John and Will (the 
latter still living); John D. Allen; 
Horace Bunce (no relative to the old 
Judge Bunce) and the Potts, Lewis 
and Sam, were some of the first fam- 
ilies. One of the Potts girls mar- 
ried Pat Doner, known over the River 
district as he "fiddled and called off" 
at the dances. At a Centennial Com- 
mittee recently in arranging for an 
old fashioned dance to be held the 7th 
of July, one of the members remark 
ed "If only we had Pat Doner to play 
and call off for us." 

The brick schoolhouse is very old. 
The writer has asked a dozen people 
in Marysville when it was built with 
no result . Some said over 5U years 
ago. In 1869 a wooden building was 
east of it. John Miner lived out Hur- 
on Boad. Jacob Kromenakei- worked in 
the saw mills of Williams & Mills 
for 13 years. Later he drew lumber 
from Slabtown on the Turnpike to 
Vicksburg. He now owns a farm of 
172 acres. His son Edward is priesc 
of the St. Clair Catholic church which 
is making extensive additions under 
his direction. 

Three years ago Marysville was a 
quiet, shady little village of about 2UU 
population, lying along the river in a 
comatose state. In March 1919, there 
appeared off the shore the speed boat 
Baby Marold, whose owner. Mr. C. H. 
Wills, was to rouse the village from 
its lethargy until it should rise and 
become a v-ist business and indus- 
rial section. On the yacht were Mr. 
Wills and Mr. Frank Book. 

Realizing the possibility of the na- 



54 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 




?r^ 




ST. CLAIK COUr.TYS IIISIUKIAN 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



55 



tural location a company was formed 
later termed the Marysville Land Co. 
which quietly bought up the land 
trom Ravenswood on the north to th,^ 
Davis Road on the south and me 
Range Road on the west, comprising 
4200 acres including the church, 
schools, hotel, private houses, an. I 
(arms in the district. The officers 
of the Marysville Land Company arn 
C. Plarold Wills, President, John R. 
Lee, First Vice-President, Kirkland 
B. Alexander, Vice-President, Donald 



ant Secretary and Treasurer. The 
name of the (iim at pesent is the C. 
H. Wills Company. 

The C. H. Wills & Co. manufacture 
a high class automobile named the 
Wills-Saint Claire. The new City of 
Marysville has been plotted streets 
laid out, new factories started, roads 
and walks built, electi'icity and watei 
installed. Community buildings and 
and a fine cafeteria provide shelter 
and food for the 1,000 workmen who 
do not own homes. The Marysville 




C'OALVl UNITY HOUSES, .\1A11VS\'1LLE 



S. Kiskadden, Vice-President and Gen- 
eral Manager, Frank P. Book, Treas- 
urer, George .S Anderson, Secretary 
The cornerstone of the automobile 
factory building was laid November 
15th, 1911). The officers of the C. H. 
Wills & Co., manufacturing the Wills- 
Sainte Claire are C. H. Wills, Pres.; 
John R. Lee, Vice-president; Kirkland 
Alexander, 2nd, Vice-president; Chas. 
Morgana, 3rd Vice-president; Ferris 
D. Stone, Secretary; Frank P. Book, 
Treasurer; George S. Anderson, Assis- 



News came out January G, 1921, to 
record the events of the new city. 

Following are the dates upon whicii 
various operations in Marysville be- 
gan: Engineers' surveys June 12, 1919; 
Sewer and Water trenching November 
13, 1919; Ground broken for C. H. 
Wills and Company plant October 23, 
1919; Community houses started Nov. 
1, 1919; Road grading September 19 
1919; First 66 houses started Novem- 
ber 4, 1919; First store August 7, 1920; 
Athol Manufacturing Company plant 



56 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



March 24, 1920; Illinois tool Company 
plant August 15, 1920; American Bush- 
ings Corporation plant, October 1. 1920 
"C. Harold Wills, founder and pres- 
ident of the Marysville Land Co., and 
C. H. Wills &Co., of Marysville, Mich- 



Sainte Claire, recently announced. 

"C. Harold Wills was born at Fore 
Wayne. Indiana, on June 1, 1878, and 
his interest and ability in things me- 
chanical is natural for his father 
was prominently connected with the 




C. HAliOLD WILLS 



igan. is one of outstanding, dominant 
figures in the automobile business in 
America, and the full measure of his 
genius and experience has been ap- 
plied to the creation of the Wills- 



development of the steam locomotive. 
But, though descended from the race 
which produced Watt, Stephenson and 
Bell. Mr. Wills is thoroughly American 
in training, instinct and achievement 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



57 



typical of the industrial resourceful- 
ness and ingeniuity of the U. S. 

"Mr. Wills went to work at tho 
age of twelve. As an apprentice in 
machine shops, he supplemented the 



tion. Mr. Wills held to the belief that 
the day was not far distant when the 
public would demand an easier, more 
rapid and adaptable means of transpor- 
tation than anything then used. His 




THE WILLS-SAINTE CLAIRE CAR 



practical work of the day by reading 
technical works and laboring over his 
draughting board in the evenings. His 
persistent application was rewarded 



studies and observations had already 
convinced him of great possibilities of 
the motor car and in it he saw, not 
alone the beginning of a huge new in- 



when, while still a young man, he be- dustry, but an economic utility, a for- 



^ s ^ 4 \ 


A-: 




I ^¥ 


L .M|J 




^Hfl 




S^^^B 


^^^■^mIHhH 





P^ACTORY OF C. H. WILLS CO. 



came engineer of the Buroughs Adding 
Machine Company, the largest manu- 
facturers of figuring devices in tlij 
world. 

"In all his early study and prepara- 



fe which was to revolutionize the 
whole scheme of civilized human ex- 
istence. 

"From the earliest days of the in- 
dustry, Mr. Wills has been prominent- 



58 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



ly indentified with the development 
and refinement of the motor car in 
America, and always in a position 
where his natural inventive genius, 
and remarkable instinct and ability 
had full play. Over a period of six- 
teen years, between 1903 and 1919, ho 
was chief engineer and manufacturing 
manager for the largest automobile 
company in the world and designed 
every model built by that concern. 
He went further, and so organized th- 
production that the output reached the 



(lualled by any other plant. He was 
confidential advisor to the air Depart- 
ment and the signing of the Armistice 
found h'm with a number of war in- 
ventions well beyond the experiment- 
al stage. 

"Beside being an acknowledged lead- 
er in design and factory methods, Mr. 
Wills is also recognized as one of the 
foremost commercial metallurgists 
and industrial chemists in the United 
States. By him Vanadium steel was 
developed for commercial use, and it 




ATHOL MFG. CO. MARYSVILLE 



stupendous total of a million cars per 
year, a fact hitherto believed impos- 
fcibile, and never since equalled by any 
other company. 

"During the recent war, Mr. Wills' 
knowledge and experience proved in- 
valuable, when an enormous daily pro- 
duction of Liberty motors became im 
perative. He found the materials, 
furnished designs, arranged manufac- 
turing methods and perfected an org- 
anization which accomplished an out- 
put of aircraft motors that was une- 



was he who developed and perfected 
Molybdenum steels for motor car con- 
struction. 

Since the early days of the auto- 
mobile industry, the dream of auto- 
motive engineers has been a car 
which would combine a maximum of 
strength and durability with the least 
possible weight. Vanadium alloys 
enabled manufacturers to approach 
this ideal, but the knowledge of the 
properties of Molybdenum bids fair 
to prove even more valuable. 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



59 



"Molybdenum steel is stronger and 
tougher than any other steel, and 
resists shock and vibration to an as- 
tonishing degree. Its peculiar quali- 
ties applied to motor car construction 
make possoble a car possessing grea 
ter strength and durability than can 
be obtained by the use of any other 
alloy. Because of its light weight, it 
is economical in the use of gasoline 
and saves tires. It is this ideal com- 
bination which has been achieved in 
the new Wills car. 

"It is such a dynamic personality 
as Mr. Wills' which has organized, not 
only his own company for the manuf- 
acture of his own car, but also the new 
industrial center and model manufa- 
cturing city of Marysville, on the 
Saint Clair River. It ig this creative 
intellect, this mechanical genius and 
constructive force that is back of the 
new Wllls-Sainte Claire motor car." 



Marine City and Algonac 
At Marine City are the following in- 
dustries, the Independent Sugar Co., 
S. C. McLouth Foundry & Shipyard. 
Michigan Salt Works, New Haven El- 
evator Co. and Scott Bros. The steel 
tug built at McLouth's Shipyard for 
the state of Ohio was launched and 
christened on June 25th. It is named 
Oliver H. Perry. Several Ohio of- 
ficials were present at the launchiuH. 
In Algonac are the Jackson & Za'3- 
tsoh Mill Co., Kenyon & Zaetsch Coal 
Co. Mill, Smith Boat Works, C. C. 
Smith Lower Boat Works. The keel 
of the new speedboat, "Miss America 
11" was laid in Detroit on June ■'ith 
She will be built by Mr Chris Smith at 
Algonac and he expects he to have j 
speed of 95 miles an hour. 



Industries On The Canadian Side 
Sarnia boasts of the following: — 
Central Canadian Stone Co. Ltd., i 
government fish hatchery, Cleveland- 



Sarnia Saw Mills, Dow Salt Co., H. 
H. Robertson Co., Sarnia Creamery 
Co. Ltd., Stuart Co. Ltd, King Milling 
Co. Ltd., McGibbon Lumber Co.. R. 
Laidlow Lumber Co. Ltd., H Mueller 
Mfg. Co., Imperial Oil Co. Ltd. The 
Sarnia Indians voted in- June 1919 
to sell to C. H. Wills & Co. and allied 
interests a large part of their reserva- 
t'on. The two principal industries of 
Sarnia are the Mueller Manufacturing 
Co. and the Imperial Oil Co. Short 
sketches of each are given here. 

H. Mueller Mfg. Co. 

In 1857 in Decatur, 111., Mr. H. Muel- 
ler as inventor and machinist started 
a manufacturing business on a very 
small scale. It grew rapidly under 
good direction and capable manage- 
ment until with hundreds of men em- 
ployed there in the manufacture of 
bra^^s plumbing, waterworks and gas 
supplies it was deeded to open a Can- 
adian factory. 

One of the most beautiful spots on 
the St. Clair River at Sarnia, Ontario 
was selected in 1912 by the H. Mueller 
Mfg., Company, of Decatur, 111., as 
one of the finest spots in the countrv 
to make a suitable Canadian home 
for Mueller products. 

Seldom do we find a large American 
plant a progeny of a comparatively 
youthful Canadian factory and the 
Mueller plant in Sarnia deserves con- 
irlerable credit in this connection for 
the aggressiveness displayed. So the 
Port Huron Company was established 
and has proved a marked succes.? 
from the start. 

This factory has been partly res- 
ponsible for the great measure of 
prosperity in Sarnia due to the en- 
ormous sums paid out in payrolls. 
During 1920 for instance wages am- 
ounted to half a million dollars while 
sales for the year were double that 
figure. Approximately five hundred 



60 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 




HOME OF MRS. ELIZABETH BROOKS, ST. CLAIR 




A PARTIAL VIEW OF "THE ANCHORAGE" ON THE S')\ CLAUi, HOME OI 

MR. AND MRS. H. H. (^OBURN -AMONG THE FINEST 

ON OUR BEAUTIFUL RIVER 

So named tor Anchor found after storm of litU'i placed in the yard. 



HISTOKY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



61 



men are employed during the year. 
The Mueller Industries are doins 
everything possible to introduce new 
■ i)roducts which will tend to give all 
employees work all year around. 
Buildings with their 1-6 of a million 
square feet of floor space and drive- 
ways, cover about ten acres while tho 
total property including tennis courts, 
recreation rooms, etc. covers in all 
about thirty-one acres of land. Suffi- 
cient space is owned to enable the 
Company to more then double th^^ 
present size of the plant. 

Judge Tappan of Port Huron rec- 
ently spoke of the great value of th.^ 
welfare work of the Muellers compai- 
ing their factories with other modern 
industries which seemed like such 
coldblooded institutions doing business 
solely for the making of money and 
letting nothing whatever stand in me 
way of larger profits. All employees 
are encouraged to a large extent to 
take shares in their company and 
many hundreds have secured a nice 
little income as a reward for their 
thrift. 



The Imperial Oil Co. Ltd. 

May 7th, 19:^1, was the 24th anniv- 
ersary of Sarnia Refinery — the first 
old refining plant of the Imperial Oil 
Limited, The history of nearly every 
refinery is a story of constant de- 
velopment, and in this particular. 
Sarnia has been no exception to the 
rule, for it is by far the largest of tht- 
five oil refineries which this C!ompaiiy 
now operates. 

The site selected for the refinery, 
in 1897, had been occupied since 18/1 
by a small plant, originally built by 
the Dominion Oil Co. 

At that time the Refinery received 
iLs Crude through a 2-inch pipe line 
lunning from the old Rainsberry 
Field on the Twelfth Line (Near Pet- 
rolia) to Sarnia, the receiving station 



being known as "Lawyers Station." 
When the Imperial Oil, Limited ac- 
quired the Plant in 1897. a 3-inch line 
was installed for receipt of Crude 
from Petrolia and Oil Springs and 
this line is still in operation. 

The process that had -been used V.' 
desulphurize the Kerosene Oil was 
what is termed "The Litharge Pro- 
cess." When the Sarnia Refinery 
was erected the Frasch or "Copper 
Oxide" process was installed. This 
very completely removed the object- 
ionable sulphur contents, and gave to 
the Canadian people a Canadian-made 
article that compared with the Amer- 
ican Oil that had been in great dem- 
and before the Sarnia Refinery was 
constructed. 

In rebuilding the Sarnia Refinery in 
1897, the capacity decided was 400 bar- 
rels of Crude per day. As a comparison 
it may be interesting to know tnat tae 
Plant now has a Crude charging cap- 
acity of 11,000 barrels per day. and 
in addition to the regular Refinery 
equipment necessary for a Plant ot 
this capacity, they have forty Pres- 
sure Stills at their No. 2 Plant at Sar- 
nia, these Stills being used for th? 
manufacture of Gasoline. The pres- 
ent acreage of the Plant is 153.14, and 
it is the largest Oil Refinery in the 
British Empire. The agreement witn 
the Town of Sarnia when they start- 
ed operations in 1897, was that they 
would employ nut less than fifty men. 
and at all times they have employed 
many times this number. They now 
have on their payroll at Sarnia up- 
wards of 1,200 men. 

Their Plant is in every respect up 
to date. The buildings are all of 
brick or reinforced concrete. 

Another Depart meiit of the Works 
which has grown enormously is the 
Mechanical Department. All of the 
material for the first Stills, Boilers, 
etc., erected at Sarnia, came fabricat- 



62 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAHl RIVER 




RESIDENCE OF SEN. LYMAN A. HOLMES, ON THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 

AT ST. CLAIR 




WESTHAVEN. HOME OF MISS BINA WEST, PORT HURON 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



63 



ed, as, at that time, there were no 
facilities for doing this work where 
iis. at the present time, there is a very 
( omplete shop equipment capable if 
fabricating from 200-400 tons per week 
In addition to a Boiler Shop, the Me- 
chanical Department also includes a 
very complete Machine Shop, Carpen- 
ter Shop. Pipe Shop. etc. 

The Refinery at present has about a 
million barrels of steel storage for 
for Crude and Refined Oil products. 
This does not include any of the un 
deiground storage for various products 

Products are shipped in bulk from 
Sarnia to all points in Canada by tank 
cars owned by the Company, also by 
the Company's several bulk steamers 
to Halifax, St. Johns, Montreal, Tor- 
onto, Brockville, Welland. Sault Ste. 
Marie and Fort Williams. At the 
present time the Company owns and 
opeiates 17 lit tank cars, varying in 
capacity from 4,000 to 8,000 gallons, 
each. 

In addition to the Crude Oil which i^^ 
received through the 3 inch line ment- 
ioned previously in this article, from 
the Canadian Oil Fields in the vicinity 
of Petrolia. Ontario, there is received 
at the Sarnia Refinery daily an aver 
age of 10.000 barrels of Crude Oil 
which is transported through the Im- 
perial Pipe Line which connects with 
the main Amei-ican Tiunk Pipe Line 
at Cygent. Ohio. This pipe line runs 
under the St. Clair River a ways south 
of the Imperial Co.'s plant. 



Ai Courtright opposite St. Clair 
there is the plant of the Western Salt 
Co. which has a few salt wells and 
pioduces salt for the market. 

If the much discussed LakesTo- 
Ocean project proves successful it will 
add much to the commercial interest 
of the St. Clair River. The C. H. 
Wills Co. could load their machines 
at their dock at Marysville and ship 



them to any ocean port So with 
other manufacturers. The following 
is from a Detroit paper dated June 7, 
PI08 ' In demonstration of the proverb 
that there is nothing new under the 
sun, it can be shown that few original 
features characterize the recent pro- 
posed Lakes to Gulf waterways sys- 
tem. For this projejct is one of the 
most venerable of American enterpris 
es. Theodore Roosevelt is its pre 
sent champion." A tour in the interest 
of the Lake-Ocean route will take 
place July 11-15, 1921. 

The LaFollette Seaman's law pass- 
ed in 1915 has been a detriment to the 
Lake and River traffic as well as to 
the Ocean commerce. Owing to tnis 
law the Detroit &. Cleveland boats 
are not running this year. 

Waterway bodies are meeting thr- 
ough the country to aid navigation. 
Obediah Gardner (by the way he is a 
near relative of the Marysville fam- 
ily of that name) is chairman of the 
Joint International Waterways Com- 
mission. The following is from the 
Detroit Free Press. "What we need 
in the Great Lakes country is immed 
iate legislation to encourage trans- 
portation, shipping and ship buildiiag, " 
Mr. A. A. Schantz, president of the 
Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Co. 
says, "All passenger boats on the 
Great Lakes have been operating at 
a loss since the LaFollette Seaman's 
law went into effect." The present 
administration has declared in favor 
of better laws for Lakes navigation. 

Air Navigation. 

Till' "Santa Maria" an eleven pass 
(Migei' air cruiser, wliicli soon will 
make the trip from Detroit to Chic 
ago via the lake route, is scheduled 
to slop at Poit Huron for supplies and 
a committee of local men has been 
appointed by the Chamber of Com- 
merce to greet the guests. 



64 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 




FIRST liFAJjqLAJiTEliS UK THE W UAIAXS BENEFIT ASSOCIATION 




PRESENT WOMAN'S BENEFIT ASSOCIATION BUILDING 



HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 



65 



This trip, according to C. Ridden, 
president of tlie company, will be fol- 
lowed by other similiar ones, and i; 
is planned that later passengers will 
be taken on at Port Huron and othe.' 
way ports, including Mackinac. 

"We believe that the various cit- 
ies on the Great Lakes realize that 
with these big aerial cruisers they 
will be able to reduce the time requir- 
ed to travel between cities by more 
than 75 per cent." writes Mr. Ridden, 

"Also that cities will be linked to- 
gether by numerous aerial transpor- 
tation lines, and that thousands of 
people will travel over the lakes by 
air in the near future. 

The Santa Maria as will be re- 
membered, recently made the trip 
through the air from Miami, Fla. to 
Detroit with many prominent citizen;- 
of Detroit aboard. 



The Woman's Benefit Association of 
Port Huron 

On Military Street in Port 
Huron stands an imposing build- 
ing which is a monument of woman's 
intuition and executive ability. This 
is the Woman's Benefit Building and 
is a busy place as will be seen by the 
following description. 

The Woman's Benefit Association 
has a peculiar significance in its rela- 
tion to the St. Clair County Centenn- 
ial, since a St. Clair County school 
teacher founded it and has led it from 
its small bsginning on October 1, 1892 
to its present wonderful standing as 
the strongest and largest fraternal ben- 
efit society of women in the world 
Perhaps in twenty-nine years, no other 
women's organization in the world 
has experienced the growth in mem- 
bers and financial strength as has 
the Women's benefit Association for 
in this space of time up to date of 
writing (June 1) over thirty-five mil 
lions of dollars has been collected for 



the relief of the home when death or 
disability has come to a W. B. A. mem- 
ber. Of this amount, Bina M. West 
the founder, has personally signed 
away in benefits over twenty millions 
The remainder is thriftily invested in 
gilt edge municipal bonds for pay- 
ment of future benefits Can you 
imagine the joy of clipping annually 




MISS BINA M. WEST 

the interest coupon/s amounting to 
nearly three quarters of a million? 
This is what the officers of the W. i'. 
A. very modestly accomplish without 
blare of trumpets as a St. Clair organ 
ization should do. 

The jurisdiction of the Women s 
Benefit Association now comprises 
the U. S. A., Hawaii and Alaska and 
all the provinces of Canada. 

A membership of 300,000 will be at- 
tained by 1923 for the great Supreme 
Review which will convene at Los 
Angeles in that year. "Make no little 
plans, they have no power to stir 



66 HISTORY OF THE ST. CLAIR RIVER 

men's blood" and on this principle, the it is acknowledged that Miss Bina M. 
leader and pioneer "carries on" being- West is the leading woman fraternal- 
ing renown to her own home city for ist of the world. 



THE SAINT CLAIR RIVER 

Beautiful, changeable. Saint Clair River. 

On thy bright bosom the sun-beams quiver, 

Sparkle, and dance, as thy deep waters flow 

On, to the sea as the years come and go. 

We know full well, not always thou art mild, 

But at times thou dost roll up billows wild, 

Or tossing thy white caps in angry glee, 

As if mocking at human misery. 

Then gliding so calm on a summer n'ght. 

Who could dream that ever rising in might. 

Thou wouldst wreck the frail bark trusting in thee. 

Send souls unprepared to eternity. 

Tell Us of days when the Indian's canoe. 
Shot out from thy banks o'er the waters blue. 
If the legend's true that in years gone by. 
One bank I'eached out to the other so nigh. 
That felling a tall tree close to thy shore 
One crossed in safety thy deep water o'er? 
Revealed thou to us the last resting place. 
Where the brave warriors sleep after the chase. 
To dream of the happy hunting grounds, where 
No work, with never a trouble or care. 
Where did the deer come thy water to drink? 
Show us the trail to thy grassy brink. 

Didst tliou laugh with delight, when first white sail. 
Danced over thy waters manned by face pale? 
Did it whisper to thee of coming time? 
When thou shouldst carry men of every clime? 
Wast thou angry, or didst tremble with fear, 
When the first whistle fell clear on thy ear? 
Answer these questions. We'd much like to know 
Things thou wouldst tell us of the long ago. 

Now what a change, from thy salt-licks arise. 
Buildings with towers pointing up to the skies. 
Large vats of l)rine into salt simmered down. 
Are shipped through the land, to city and town. 
Thy commerce is great, going down to the sea, 
Not even Suez can compare with thee. 
Tell us we pray, is thy face wreathed witli suules 
To note the beauty of thy many isles? 
Thy cities lie fair in the twilight's glow 
And bathers sport where thy water is low. 
Over thy still quiet surface there floats. 
The far-reaching whistle of passing boats. 
The sea-gull swoops in his downward flight. 
Seizing a fish, disappears from the sight. 
The robin calls to his mate in the tree. 
"Sweet sleep." night fall over land and the sea. 




ST. CLAIR..4N THE HEART OF THE ST. CLAIR 
RIVER DISTRICT. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



im 000 875 593 •■ 



